Executive’s Desk: Creating a family-friendly workplace

Business has changed. Employees no longer choose to join a company based solely on position and salary — they’re looking for something different. Workers are more interested in how their job is going to fit into their personal lives along with their careers.

Managers should be aware of what this actually means to employees or they may spend time and money training people who decide to leave. We have identified ways to hire the right people who want to stay at the job and work hard. Retention increases when employees feel personally supported by the organization and their work and family lives have been addressed properly.

Thus, a family-friendly workplace is smart business for any company. If you consider your employees to be your strongest assets, it is not only wise to invest in their professional growth, but also their personal development by recognizing their real-life situations.

They have families and responsibilities at home. An employer has the ability to provide resources to help them become better employees through understanding their needs and working together to create a supportive environment.

This can take time, intention and resources. If you do not have the internal resources, industry associations, chambers of commerce and nonprofits like Family Friendly New Mexico, or FFNM, can help businesses create a supportive work environment. FFNM has a business council that informs the nonprofit to tap into different-sized businesses to learn best practices and receive practical assistance from seasoned professionals.

At U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union, we recognize that employees have needs outside the workplace. Employees are more than what they do for the credit union. Built on the principle of people helping people, I have included five helpful tips to create a workplace that’s meaningful and has a culture where people mean more, with little or no cost to the organization.

It begins with communication

As employees have individual needs, it’s important to find out what a family-friendly workplace means to them. Employees bring their whole lives to work and it’s helpful to learn how to enhance their experiences. If you speak with the people most impacted by the work environment, you will better understand their needs. It works best to have open conversations with staff and remain consistent, equitable and inclusive on all workplace decisions.

Start small and grow as needed

It’s okay to start small. You do not have to change your workplace in one fell swoop. It’s good to set a specific family-friendly goal and work toward its completion. If there is one thing that employees need, it is predictability. A family-friendly workplace provides the employee with considerations such as creating a planned work schedule in advance of the work week, offering job-sharing opportunities and providing flexibility by working onsite or remotely.

Be intentional with staff

When developing a family-friendly workplace, it’s critical to be intentional. Once you have determined the activities that are preferred by your employees, it’s important to follow through with actions delivering on their requests. We recommend making corporate decisions by looking through a family-friendly lens. If you view your choices through a supportive perspective, employees may work harder, remain loyal and help grow your workplace to become more productive and collaborative as they know you have their backs.

Provide necessary economic support

At all companies, pay equity is important. In a family-friendly workplace, economic support is taken to new levels through childcare, diversity, educational opportunities and contributing to the community. From employee volunteering opportunities to partnering with local nonprofits, organizations can support other families in the community. As a credit union, it is part of our charter to improve the quality of life in the communities we serve.

Utilize outside resources

Visit websites like NMFamilyFriendlyBusiness.org for assistance. FFNM has a website full of useful family-friendly resources such as toolkits, sample policies, topical blogs, workplace webinars, continuing education credits and networking events to help businesses create a positive family-friendly work environment.

FFNM’s annual Family Friendly Business Award honors organizations whose family-friendly workplace policies improve businesses, the workforce and the communities they serve. It helps to align a company’s core values with its policies, improve the health and well-being of employees, improve employee retention, improve productivity and quality to successfully achieve the mission, and reduce costs associated with turnover, health care and lost productivity.

I’m sure we all agree that our employees can make or break us. By following these simple steps, you can create a positive and family-friendly workplace that is intentional, lets employees know they are being heard, and attracts and retains the best team members.