Printed 1998

By

SERVE

The SouthEastern Regional Vision for Education

Associated with the School of Education

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

And in collaboration with

The North Carolina Business Committee for Education
October 1998

Dear Colleague:

It is with pleasure that the SouthEastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE)

presents the Family-Focused Workplace Guide. We publish this document in

collaboration with the North Carolina Business Committee for Education in the hope

that other organizations will build on our efforts. By developing relationships among

government, private business, social services, and education, we improve the chances

that today’s children will be tomorrow’s successful citizens.

This handbook offers information to businesses interested in becoming more involved

in helping employees balance work and family life. It presents a picture of the

changing society and of the importance of workplace practices that support family life.

This guide gives examples of Gold Star Programs that have successfully implemented

family-friendly policies and programs, and it describes one model program. It also

offers valuable resource information.

We hope that you will find this document helpful as you reflect on practices in your

workplace. As an educator or parent, you may wish to share it with the businesses in

your area. If you are an employer, please accept it as a guide for initiating or

enhancing a workplace parenting program in your business.

Sincerely,

John R. Sanders, Ed.D.

Executive Director

Alabama Florida Georgia Mississippi North Carolina South Carolina

1100 West Market Street, 3rd Floor, Greensboro, NC 27403-1830 336-334-3211 Toll Free 1- 800-755-3277 FAX 336-334-3268

Affiliated with the School of Education, University of North Carolina at Greensboro An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer
Dear Friend:

Recognizing that children’s parents and family are their first and

foremost teachers, the North Carolina Business Committee for

Education is extremely proud to be a collaborative partner with

SERVE in publishing the Family-Focused Workplace Guide. This

workplace tool is designed to assist businesses of all sizes and sectors

in examining their current work/family policies and programs in the

spirit of continuous improvement.

Like every school and community, every business has its own

unique characteristics, conditions, and resources. This publication

recognizes this reality and encourages businesses to start where they

are and, through community partnerships, to strive for a benchmark

standard based on best practices in their business sector. Our

experience has proven that worksite parenting programs are a

valuable service to employees and offer employers a sound return

on their investment.

Thank you for taking time to share this tool with those colleagues,

friends, and associates who share in the belief that high student

achievement and school success are derived from results-driven

partnerships among the family, school, businesses, and the larger

community.

Sincerely,

Thomas J. Williams

Executive Director

NCBCE is a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

North Carolina

Business Committee

for Education

Office of the Governor

116 West Jones Street

Raleigh, NC 27603-8001

919/715-3535 phone

919/733-2120 fax

Executive Board

J. Billie Ray, Jr.

Chairman

BellSouth

James C. Mabry

Vice Chairman/Treasurer

Wachovia Bank of N.C., N.A.

David E. Benevides

Secretary

IBM Corporation

Robert C. Allen

Duke Power

Phyllis Y. Bailey

Southeastern Solutions, Inc.

Ladd F. Baucom

BellSouth

Robert L. Bridwell

Centura Bank

Olin H. Broadway, Jr.

BroadNet, Inc.

John Clemens

NationsBank

Mark G. Dill

Nortel

Tom Mallison

DuPont

C. Steve Parrott

Sprint

Hilda Pinnix-Ragland

Carolina Power & Light

William A. Shore

Glaxo Wellcome Inc.

Vivian Love Turner

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.

Thomas J. Williams

Executive Director
iviv

Acknowledgments

The North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) acknowledges

its appreciation to the following people for their ongoing leadership, support,

and demonstrated personal commitment to improving and enhancing parental

involvement through effective business, education, and community partnerships:

Governor James B. Hunt, Jr.

State Board of Education Chairman, Mr. Phillip J. Kirk, Jr.

State Superintendent, Dr. Michael E. Ward

NCBCE also would like to recognize its President/Chairman, Mr. J. Billie Ray,

Jr., President of BellSouth-North Carolina for his leadership, as well as the

leadership of the member companies.

Those who contributed to the development of this publication include

Dr. Charles Ahearn, Director of Publishing and Quality Assurance, SERVE

Mr. Jim Bleyer, Editorial Consultant

Mr. Henry Helms, Consultant, Work/Parent Program, NCBCE

Ms. Nancy Livesay, Project Director, SERVEing Young Children, SERVE

Dr. Donna Nalley, Senior Program Specialist, SERVE

Mr. Tom Williams, Executive Director, NCBCE, Office of the Governor

Marissa Coffenberry, Design Specialist, SERVE
vv

Contents

Introduction .............................................................................. 1

The Evolution of Family-Friendly Policy................................. 2

Types of Family-Friendly Programs......................................... 7

Planning, Implementing, and Sustaining

a Worksite Parenting Program ................................................ 12

Gold Star Programs ................................................................. 18

Appendices ............................................................................. 29
1

Introduction

The family has historically served as the foundation of society. The relationship

between family and the workplace and the impact of both on school readiness

are well documented. Society, however, is changing, and home, work, and

school relationships are being reassessed and retooled.

Employers are taking an increasing role in helping families cope with societal

changes. The institution of family-friendly policies is becoming more prevalent.

Government, the private sector, and community groups are contributing toward

the creation of more family-friendly workplaces and are creating alliances to

assist businesses in achieving that goal.

SERVEing Young Children (SYC), a component of the SouthEastern Regional

Vision for Education (SERVE), is responsible for developing national leadership

and expertise in early childhood education into the next millenium. One of the

ways SYC accomplishes this is to address critical issues of national importance

in order to impact outcomes for young children and their families.

SYC, though workshops and its publication Families and Schools: An Essential

Partnership, has emphasized parental involvement in education. Another SYC

publication, A Call to Action: Family Involvement as a Critical Component of

Teacher Education Programs, addresses the fundamental skills that teachers and

caregivers need to fully involve families in education.

The North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE), supported by

the Office of the Governor, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and other agencies, is encouraging businesses throughout the state to

provide opportunities for employees to learn about and discuss effective

parenting techniques.

The committee’s mission is to encourage businesses to provide an environment

which enables employees to become knowledgeable and supportive parents

who promote and sustain the value of education for their children. One result

of the committee’s efforts was the publication of ABC’s of Worksite Parenting

Programs, a handbook which reflects the experiences of businesses that have

implemented worksite parenting programs. It is the forerunner of this publication.

The collaboration of the SYC and the North Carolina Business Committee for

Education is an outgrowth of their unswerving commitment to forge bonds

among the family, education, and the workplace.
2

The Evolution of

Family-Friendly Policy

Four decades ago, a company was considered family-friendly if it provided jobs

to parents who otherwise would be unemployed. Societal changes such as the

single-parent family and the sharp increase in the number of working women

have redefined and broadened the meaning of “family-friendly.”

To be considered family-friendly today, a company must offer its workers an

abundance of benefits. They range from the very basic, such as health insurance and equal pay for equal work, to more proactive services, such as on-site

childcare, flexible hours, telecommuting, family leave, and tuition assistance.

The family unit has changed radically since the 1950s. Today only 13 percent of

all American families fit the traditional mold of wage-earner husband and

homemaker wife, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Various other

studies have put that number as low as ten percent. Sixty percent of women

with children under six are in the workforce. Single-parent families headed by

males are the fastest-growing type of family group in America.

The initiation of formal family-friendly programs began in the seventies when

increasing numbers of women were entering the workforce. Although these

programs were regarded by many as a passing fad (Galinsky, Friedman, and

Hernandez, 1991), the number of companies establishing family-friendly practices has increased. This is partly in response to the number of women assuming increasingly responsible positions in the workforce, the growing number of

single-parent households, and recognition of the importance of fathers’ participation in their children’s lives.

The Work/Family Balance

These dramatic lifestyle changes are reflected in the increasing role of employers in helping workers cope with their family responsibilities. Those needing

special help are families with small children and families with both childrearing and elder-care responsibilities.

Despite the increased sensitivity of companies to their employees’ desire for a

work-family balance, the pressures on working families are getting worse,

according to two-thirds of respondents to a national survey conducted for the

National Partnership for Women and Families.

To help relieve those pressures, men and women want workplaces that are

more flexible so that they can achieve the balance between family obligations

and work duties. Most women and about half of all men surveyed termed this

as “extremely important.” As reflected in a 1994 survey of workers by the U.S.

Department of Labor Women’s Bureau, businesses that offer family-friendly

benefits make better prospective employers.
3

A quarter of a million women polled identified building a family-friendly

workplace as one of three policies urgently needing implementation by companies. The other two were increased pay and more training. A Working Women

Count program by the Bureau resulted in more than a thousand businesses,

community organizations, state and local governments, and labor unions pledging a variety of initiatives such as flexible scheduling, personal leave time, and

on-site childcare.

Priority Management Systems, an international management consulting firm,

surveyed attitudes of workers toward their jobs. In this study of 1,000 upper and

middle managers, personal values and corporate demands were found to conflict. Only two percent of the managers indicated they lead a balanced lifestyle.

Nearly 70 percent of the waking day was consumed by working and commuting, according to the survey.

The overall issue of helping working families should be a government priority,

according to 72 percent of the 1,115 adults polled in a survey from the Family

Matters report. Here are two key survey findings:

1. Most people want the federal government to expand the Family and Medical

Leave Act to include time off for workers to go to the doctor, meet with their

children’s teachers, or to get out of a violent situation at home.

2. Sixty-six percent of all poll respondents said that there should be basic

quality standards at the national or state level that all health insurers should

meet.

The Family and Medical Leave Act now guarantees that workers at companies

with 50 or more employees can keep their jobs if they have to take time off to

deal with an illness in the family for up to 12 weeks. Unfortunately, only a

minority of the nation’s workers are employed at companies with 50 or more

employees. Unless a small company has the sensitivity and wherewithal, most

working people still can’t take time off in an emergency—even unpaid leave—

and be guaranteed they will retain their job.

What Worksite Programs Have Accomplished

Many companies who now boast the most progressive family policies in the

nation were oblivious to the needs of their employees only a few years ago. A

1987 study at Corning showed that women and minorities were leaving the

company at twice the rate of white men. A 1988 survey at DuPont showed that

25 percent of male employees and 50 percent of females had considered leaving the company for one that offered more flexibility. Today, both companies

are leaders in family-friendly policies.

Progress has been modest for children and families in the workplace, but there

is evidence that the implementation of family-friendly policies is expanding:

★ Working Mother magazine’s 1996 survey of the top 100 family-friendly companies shows a greater utilization of flexible schedules in the corporate
4

world, extension of on-site childcare centers beyond company headquarters,

and the development of programs where companies set aside funds to meet

a wide array of employee needs.

★ Hal Morgan and Kerry Tucker, authors of Companies That Care, found that

many companies of every size in every region of the country are meeting

the work-force challenges of the 1990s through family-friendly policies.

★ A committee of employers has developed the Employer Promise for Learning to formalize their commitment to family-friendly policies. They use the

promise and recruitment materials to encourage other employers to incorporate family-friendly policies into their corporate culture.

How Education Can Be Helped

Employment practices that assist in the education of employees and their

children are meaningful. These types of initiatives improve morale and workers’ perceptions of their employers. According to The Conference Board’s

Business Guide to Support Family Involvement in Education, policies such as

flexible work schedules that promote parental involvement in education contribute to workplace productivity and enhance school-based achievement by

children of employees.

The need for more business involvement, however, still exists. The Conference

Board cites a study that shows only one-fifth of parents consistently attend

school programs. More than 40 percent never do, and only one-third of parents

regularly attends their child’s extracurricular performances, such as athletic

events and plays. The main culprit: long hours in the workplace. Employed

mothers, for example, work an average of 65 hours per week.

Secretary of Education Richard Riley has emphasized the importance of parental involvement in their children’s education. “There is a compelling need for

adults to reconnect with America’s children,” he asserted. “We seem as a nation

to be drifting toward a new concept of childhood that says a child can be

brought into this world and allowed to fend for himself or herself.”

A parent’s mere attendance at a school function can have positive results. The

Conference Board notes that this type of involvement alerts the student and the

school that education is important to the family.

Other effective education initiatives include family literacy programs, continuing education for the employee or employee’s child, tuition reimbursement,

college decision making, summer employment to assist with college expenses,

and at-work seminars. Personal days allow employees to take time off for

special events such as parent-teacher conferences and special school events.

Bottom-Line Benefits

Companies offering family-friendly programs have learned that they translate

into good business, both internally and externally. According to Gibson (1997),

work-life programs can save companies money. His survey of 451 human

resource professionals found that “an appropriate mix of work-life programs”

saved their companies millions of dollars in unscheduled absenteeism. Com-
5

pany surveys have also disclosed other benefits such as reduced employee

turnover, increased productivity, improved morale, job satisfaction, and tax

credits.

Far from being a passing fad, family-friendly policies have become prevalent in

the nineties, with most Fortune 500 companies offering a variety of programs to

their employees (Galinsky, Friedman, and Hernandez, 1991). If not quite

mainstream yet, family-friendly programs are certainly here to stay. And businesses that offer family-friendly programs are using them to attract the best

workers.

The Conference Board observes that Work-Family Directions, Inc., has designed

a cost-benefit analysis model to assess the quantitative impact of a company’s

family-friendly policies. The model is adaptable and depends on a company’s

goals and motivation. The model measures five quantitative factors of familysupportive policies.

1. Employee time saved

2. Increased performance

3. Employee retention

4. Stress reduction/health-care cost prevention

5. Reduced absenteeism

Almost always, for every dollar spent on family-resource programs, more than

$2 is yielded in direct cost savings. This holds true regardless of company size,

industry type, or average income of employees, according to Work-Family

Directions.

Research clearly indicates that problems experienced by employees trying to

balance work and family lead to increased absenteeism, work disruptions, high

turnover, stress, and low morale. By addressing work-life issues, companies not

only benefit employees but also gain a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Xerox Chairman and CEO Paul A. Allaire told business leaders at a summit on

re-linking life and work that family-friendly policies are a powerful business

tool, not just a necessary accommodation. “Workers with a sense of empowerment are more efficient, productive, and satisfied on the job,” said Allaire.

“Companies that treat employees with respect are repaid in the dividends of

employee motivation, productivity, and commitment to quality.” He further

emphasized that no one set of policies is right for every company and urged

executives to nurture a corporate culture that respects differences, assumes

people want to do the right thing, and values empowerment “so people can get

the job done.”

The family-leave law has proved popular with businesses as well as workers.

One survey shows that 95 percent of companies who have family-friendly

policies in place say that these policies more than pay for themselves in increased productivity, higher morale, increased retention rates, and the ability to

attract higher-quality workers.
6

Other Research

★ The Ford Foundation, a leader in the advocacy of family-friendly workplace

policies, found that helping employees meet the dual pressures of work and

family boosts efficiency, creativity, and profits.

★ The Metropolitan Washington Work/Life Coalition discovered that programs

such as on-site childcare and flexible work schedules can improve both

employee morale and a company’s bottom line. The survey, which included

small and large firms, also reported that companies are beginning to examine benefits that can boost productivity and morale throughout the life

cycle. These benefits include company fitness centers, subsidized cafeterias,

tuition assistance, and employer support for a worker caring for an elderly

parent.

★ A Cannon Consulting Group survey showed that 72 percent of employers

said they believe absenteeism would be greatly reduced if a company

offered on-site child-care services. The survey also found that 34 percent of

the employers believe that childcare favorably affects profitability because it

is convenient for employees and reduces stress.

★ Studies at Johnson & Johnson revealed that absenteeism among employees

who utilized flexible work options and family leave policies was 50 percent

less than the workforce as a whole. In addition, two years after the introduction of work-family benefits at Johnson & Johnson, employees reported that

their jobs interfered less with their family lives.

★ Aetna’s retention rate increased from 77 percent to 88 percent after it

initiated a six-month maternity leave with flexible return-to-work possibilities.

★ Since the opening of its childcare center, Union Bank in Los Angeles reported positive effects on turnover, absenteeism, maternity leave, and

public relations. Cost savings in turnover alone increased from $63,000 to

$147,000.

★ A survey of nine employers in the Smart Valley Initiative, a California

project that promotes telecommuting, found telecommuters to be 25 percent more productive on the days they worked at home and 20 percent

more productive overall.

★ The City of Phoenix began an innovative in-home sick child-care program

for working parents. It resulted in saving the city $11,000 in non-productive

sick leave in just six months.

★ Family-friendly policies indeed yield important returns for employers in

terms of lower training expenses, decreased absenteeism, reduced turnover,

higher morale, and increased loyalty. It has even been suggested that

morale increases among employees who do not have dependent care needs.

A key component in maximum utilization of family-friendly programs is

managerial support in promoting them.

The verdict on corporate attitudes toward family-friendly workplace policies:

awareness and implementation have multiplied significantly, but much work

remains to be done.
7

Types of Family-Friendly Programs

Broadly speaking, a family-friendly workplace program is one in which an

employer seeks to help employees balance work and family responsibilities. A

family-friendly program can be as elaborate as on-site childcare or as simple as

a flexible work schedule.

This guidebook provides an overview of programs available to businesses. Some

programs can only be initiated by a large company or a consortium of small and

mid-sized businesses. Others that are simple and inexpensive can be utilized by

any business. To start, let’s look at some of the most prevalent types of familyfriendly workplace programs, according to a survey by the Families and Work

Institute, and a few others that are fast gaining favor among employers.

Alternative Work Arrangements

The programs most widely available to help families balance job and family life

involve flexible time and leave: flextime, part-time jobs, personal days, and

personal leaves. While companies have instituted alternatives to standard work

arrangements for reasons that are other than family-related, these arrangements can be considered family-supportive because they offer employees

greater flexibility and control over the times and places they work. Whether

they involve flexibility in an employee’s schedule or workplace, these accommodations are extremely helpful to parents whose children’s school schedules

and illnesses often require them to be in two places at once.

Flexible Scheduling

Flexible scheduling includes workdays with flexible hours and positions with

flexible hours.

Flextime generally involves one of the following arrangements:

★ A work schedule that allows an employee to arrive and leave earlier or

arrive and leave later than the business’s traditional workday

★ A work schedule that allows an employee to shorten or skip lunch breaks to

enable him or her to arrive later or leave earlier than the traditional work

day

★ A work schedule that allows an employee to work a 40-hour work week in

fewer days, such as four 10-hour days, instead of a business’s traditional

work week

Job sharing is another example of flexible scheduling. Through this arrangement, two employees fill one full-time position and arrange their schedules to

ensure that all of the duties associated with the position are fulfilled. In addition to accommodating employees’ schedules, this approach enables an employer to assign two employees with complementary skills to one job.

Part-time schedules are defined as any arrangement short of normal full-time

work. Employees may work portions of days, weeks, months or years. They
8

may also be on a temporary or permanent status. This kind of arrangement is

one of the most widely used family-friendly programs, according to the Families

and Work Institute. Employees in these positions typically receive benefits such

as health insurance and leave in proportion to the number of hours they work.

For example, a half-time employee pays for one-half of his or her health insurance and accrues leave at one-half the rate of full-time employees. Most companies, however, do not offer benefits to workers who are on the job less than 20

hours a week.

Time-off options most commonly include paid holidays and vacations. Relatively new are personal days that allow employees several discretionary days

off, other than vacation time, to take care of personal or family matters. Personal days are generally written into company policy and available to all employees.

Flexplace: With the widespread use of home computers, portable computers,

modems, and other technology that enable employees to take their work on the

road, the term flexplace is taking its place beside the term flextime. More employees are opting to take their work home during emergencies, such as a child’s

illness, rather than stay at work or request leave. And more employers are

seeing the advantages of offering the option of flexplace. By allowing employees

to work at home, these employers are literally enabling their employees to be

in two places at once, fulfilling both their work and family responsibilities. Not

only is the work being done; it is being done well in terms of achieving the

desired results.

Telecommuting, a more popular term for flexplace, most frequently refers to

work-at-home arrangements. Under certain conditions, employees who care for

children or elders can benefit from telecommuting arrangements, although

parents of small children are still likely to need childcare support while working at home.

Family-Supportive Benefits

Beyond changes in their policies governing time on and off the job, companies

are now also evaluating the whole range of benefits in order to keep abreast of

changes in workforce demographics. Sometimes this means redesigning the

entire benefits package in order to provide more programs and more choice.

Sometimes it means adding to or changing the types of benefits available.

Occasionally the effort involves better packaging and communication of the

benefits already being offered by the corporation.

Cafeteria benefits allow employees to individualize their benefit selections

from a menu of different options and tradeoffs. The overwhelming majority of

cafeteria plans have been implemented since 1990, and none was in place

before 1980. Employers were not allowed to offer a choice in benefits until

passage of the 1978 Revenue Act, when section 125 of the Internal Revenue

Code was introduced. Businesses should investigate federal and state funding

services for child health care.
9

Dependent Care Assistance Plans (DCAPS) are flexible spending accounts

that enable employees to set aside annually up to $5,000 of their pretax salaries

and use that money to reimburse health and dependent care expenses. This

account may include an employer contribution or a portion of profit-sharing

funds and is tax-free to both employer and employee.

Adoption benefits include financial assistance in paying expenses related to

adoption. Adoption benefits also allow time off, as in maternity and paternity

leave, for the employee when the child is adopted. This benefit is attractive to

employers because of its high visibility and low cost. Infrequent adoptions are

generally the rule, and this keeps yearly usage rates and costs very low.

College tuition assistance involves the offering of scholarships and loan

subsidies under a tax-deferred savings plan. The company, for example, may

match annual contributions of up to $1,000 for each of an employee’s child’s

four years of high school.

Long-term care insurance is a relatively recent benefit offered by companies.

Such policies provide coverage for the long-term illness of a parent or spouse,

as well as the policyholder. The introduction and growth of this benefit reflect

the changing age structure of the population. Workers retiring from companies

today can expect to live 25 years or more in retirement and are increasingly

likely to face long-term health problems in their later years. Also, large numbers of baby-boomers are becoming responsible for their aging parents, who

may be included in the coverage offered by their employers.

Dependent care support involves benefits in addition to the assistance provided through company plans. This includes referral networks that are designed to assist large numbers of employees with dependents.

Childcare resource and referral agencies help families find childcare that

meets their needs and also work within their communities to increase the

supply of high-quality childcare programs. They often work with businesses by

providing enhanced referral services and workshops on finding quality

childcare for their employees. Many of these agencies also administer programs

that help families pay for childcare.

Elder care consultation and referral are newer and far less prevalent than

childcare. Although community-based information and services for the elderly

are often extensive, employers have not been connected to these resources

until recently. Such services provide information and counseling on elder care

problems, as well as referrals to local agencies serving the elderly. Strong

growth in the use of this service seems likely—again due to the fact that baby

boomers are becoming responsible for the care of elderly parents. Many of the

companies that have launched childcare resource and referral services are now

also offering similar services to employees with elder care responsibilities.

Childcare centers and consortia are a key concern for prospective and

present employees. This benefit is not as prevalent as others because of the

perceived costs involved in its implementation. Larger corporations work to
10

improve childcare options for their workers by directly providing childcare

through on- or near-site centers. Options for companies with fewer resources

are to subsidize childcare at existing childcare centers in the community or to

participate in a consortium of companies in creating a center.

Maternity/paternity leave is more likely to be offered by large companies,

according to the Institute of Personnel and Development (IPD). Though small

companies may find it difficult to implement maternity leave, employers

should be aware that a good maternity policy attracts a high calibre of women

to join and stay with an organization, the IPD asserts. Although the paternity

leave option has become more prevalent, many companies have not instituted

one. Men have a parental role that extends beyond breadwinner, added the IPD.

Partnership programs with schools involve the donation of money, equipment, and/or special expertise. Often employees are given time off to volunteer

their time in educational and community-related activities. Employers can fund

special projects—such as newsletters, voice-mail systems, and centers for

parents—aimed at improving parent-teacher relationships. Business leaders can

further education reform by serving on task forces that explore new ways to

enhance parental involvement or by advocating legislation. Schools, in turn,

can lend expertise by providing parent education courses for employees.

Worksite parenting programs refer to company-sponsored workshops, seminars, or classes for employees who wish to improve their parenting skills and

improve the balance between work and family life. This type of program is

often achieved through partnering with the local school system and various

community agencies supporting children and families. Employers can provide

personnel with information about parenting programs provided in the community by hospitals and other groups. Parents also benefit from receiving printed

information made available at key locations or through inserts with payroll.

Work-family support groups allow employees, in small, facilitated discussion

groups, the opportunity to give and receive support for family-related concerns

such as health, education, and child needs. The company plays a proactive role

in creating and encouraging these groups. Depending on company policy, these

groups meet on company time, over lunch, or after work.

Work-family coordinators typically emerge as staff positions in firms that

have moved beyond initiating one or two policies or programs and are developing a more integrated approach to work-family issues. This evolutionary process

often includes an evaluation of all family-related policies in the company, in

order to determine the overall “family-friendliness” of the work environment.

The size of the company and its experience with family-friendly policies dictate

whether or not they have work-family coordinators on staff.

Work-family handbooks provide a more integrated approach. A user-friendly

handbook describes all of a company’s family-friendly policies. These publications need to be continually updated and employees advised as to changing

options and additional or discontinued programs.
11

Work-family management training tends to emerge when a company is

examining and revising its family-related policies (especially those related to

work schedules and leaves). Employers recognize that the use and effectiveness

of such policies can be severely jeopardized unless they are fully supported by

supervisors. This is performed on a continuous basis.

Community support is a program where companies provide corporate foundation support for work-family services in the community. This is done in

coordination with educational and community agencies. A more recent development in corporate giving, however, is the creation of special funds.

Prevalence of Work-Family Programs in Companies

Part-time Schedules 87.8%

Employee Assistance Programs 85.6

Personal Days 77.4

Flextime 77.1

Personal Leaves of Absence 70.4

Childcare Resource and Referral 54.5

Spouse Employment Assistance 51.9

Dependent Care Assistance Plans 49.5

Job-Sharing Arrangements 47.9

Flexplace 35.1

Family, Childcare Leaves for Mothers 28.0

Family Counseling in Relocation 26.9

Work-Family Seminars 25.7

Cafeteria Benefits 25.1

Wellness/Health Programs 23.4

Elder Care Consultation and Referral 21.1

Adoption Benefits 15.7

Childcare Centers 13.0

Work-Family Management Training 9.6

Work-Family Support Groups 5.3

Corporate Foundation Giving 5.3

Family Illness Days 4.8

Discounts for Childcare 4.8

Sick Childcare 4.3

Work-Family Coordinators 3.2

Work-Family Handbooks 2.7

Long -Term Care Insurance 2.1

Consortium Centers for Childcare 1.6

On-site Caregiver Fairs 1.6

Vouchers for Childcare 1.1

(1996 Families and Work Institute Survey)
12

Planning, Implementing,

and Sustaining A Worksite

Parenting Program

Society has changed drastically in recent years, which has made the raising of

children more challenging than ever before. Data indicates an increase in the

number of women in the workforce, single parent households, dual-career

couples, families caring for aging parents, and new business demands for

higher quality work with fewer resources. These changes can result in increased pressures upon employees, employers, and families in effectively

balancing the demands of work and family responsibilities.

New evidence continues to show that family involvement in education is

critical to student achievement and creating strong and vibrant communities.

Recent brain research documents the importance of the first few years in

determining the way children learn, think, and behave for the rest of their lives.

Parents are their children’s first and most enduring teachers, and they need

continuous encouragement and support in this role.

It makes good business sense to support employees as parents as they make

important decisions in this area. Worksite parenting programs enable parents to

make wise use of limited time in becoming more knowledgeable in their

parenting role. These programs offer businesses a high return on their investment.

The list below outlines the major phases and processes in planning, implementing, and sustaining an effective worksite parenting program based on a model

developed by the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE).

NCBCE is a business-led, nonprofit organization committed to improvement in

K-12 public education. Although a company’s size, industry sector, and resources will dictate appropriate modifications to a program, this process has

proven to bring positive results at minimal cost.

Phase One: Leadership

1. Obtain the CEO/Senior Leadership Support

2. Establish an Employee Steering Committee

3. Formulate a Program Mission Statement

Phase Two: Planning

1. Assess Employee and Program Needs

2. Plan and Advertise the Program

3. Budget Resources

4. Obtain Front-line Managerial Support

5. Collaborate with Other Businesses and Community Organizations
13

Phase Three: Implementation and Evaluation

1. Conduct the Program

2. Evaluate the Program

3. Make Appropriate Changes/Refinements

Obtain the CEO/Senior Leadership Support

The first critical step in establishing a worksite parenting program is to enlist

the commitment of top leadership. This is essential to the success of any program, particularly when the program is new and innovative. Not only is

leadership’s support critical to employee participation in the program, but it is

also necessary to promote collaboration among businesses, schools, and community agencies.

If the program involves local school personnel, then the school superintendent

must endorse and support a parent-involvement program at the worksite. Each

partner must select capable staff member(s) to provide the necessary leadership, and these individuals must be aware of the high priority of this responsibility. Business organizations often select staff in the Human Resources or

Community Relations areas to spearhead the effort while most school systems

already have staff responsible for parent and community involvement activities.

These key personnel must work together closely, especially during the early

stages of planning and implementation.

During the first programs conducted at the worksite, top leadership should be

in attendance to demonstrate their strong support for the new initiative. Also,

leadership should provide correspondence to let their managers and personnel

know they are strongly encouraged to participate. Ongoing program status

reports should be shared with senior leadership to document the benefits from

this investment.

This model assures that only limited funds are required to have a successful

parenting program at the worksite. Business leadership must ensure adequate

funds and time are available to promote the program, provide refreshments,

and if needed, fund any fees essential to obtain quality presenters.

Selection of Employee Steering Committee

The program steering committee is essential in creating employee interest and

buy-in to the program. Senior leadership should identify the primary individuals responsible for the oversight and implementation of the program. These

individuals should identify and recruit employees who have children at different age levels and whose positions will represent all levels and functions within

the business. The names of the members of this committee should be publicized to employees for ease of contact. This diverse group will help assure that

various ideas and personnel are considered in planning and implementing a

successful program.
14

The business may want to consider having some community or school system

representation on the steering committee. Their role might be to present various topics for consideration or to serve as a link to other agencies or resource

materials in the local community.

Formulate a Program Mission Statement

Although an organization’s family-friendly policies should be relevant to its

overall business mission, a specific mission statement for the worksite

parenting program offers a roadmap for implementation. Key questions the

steering committee should address in developing the program mission statement include

★ What are we doing?

★ For whom?

★ How will we do this? For what purpose?

The steering committee should be encouraged to give other employees the

opportunity to “buy in” to the program mission statement.

The following is an example of a program mission statement:

Through our worksite parenting program, we will get the right

information, to the right people, at the right time thereby creating a

positive change and improving the quality of relationships in our

families, communities, and business.

Assess Employee and Program Needs

The paramount charge of the steering committee is to determine the type of

programs best suited for its business and employees. Effective methods of

determining needs and program topics are through small focus groups, informal

surveys, and program evaluation forms. Focus groups and surveys should be

specific enough to pinpoint the most prevalent employee needs but should not

include phrasing that would encourage unrealistic expectations by the

workforce. A sample informal survey is included later in Appendix A. Surveys

may include such items as number and age of children, preferred times and

frequency of sessions, and topics of interest. It is recognized that a “one size fits

all” is not an appropriate approach. Each business should develop the type of

program best suited for its employees and business conditions.

Plan and Advertise the Program

It is essential that employee feedback, along with budgetary considerations, be

the primary elements in developing a plan for the worksite parenting program.

The program must respond to employee needs because supportive policies are

viewed as critical in the recruitment and retention of workers. Clearly, if company policies are not made responsive, employees at all levels will continue to

suffer work/family strain and conflict—the very condition that a family-friendly

initiative is designed to alleviate.
15

Good program marketing strategies are essential. There are several ways to

advertise a new program such as company newsletters, bulletin boards, flyers

in cafeterias and restrooms, e-mail reminders, payroll stuffers, and announcements or handouts at staff meetings. Perhaps one of the most effective strategies is issuing personal, face-to-face invitations by members of the steering

committee. Larger companies would be well served to inform representatives

from each team or department of upcoming events. An important aspect of

advertising is to notify employees of the program and sign-up procedures well

in advance of the program dates.

Allocate Resources

Businesses realize that their future success depends on well-developed plans

and strategies. That corporate mindset is just as valuable in assuring the success of parenting sessions held at the worksite. The vision/focus selected for

the parenting program should help determine the frequency and topics of the

sessions. Though a modest budget is required to support a successful parenting

program, companies will recognize a return on this investment through added

employee appreciation and improved employee productivity.

The steering committee, using results of the focus groups, surveys, and employee suggestions, should be actively involved in all phases of session planning. Ongoing plans for several months’ lead-in time on selected topics will

maintain interest and visibility for the employees. This approach demonstrates

the depth of commitment to the program.

A comprehensive plan is essential to the establishment of a yearly budget. Good

presenters can be secured through local educational institutions and other

community agencies. On occasion, a high-profile or special presenter for certain topics may require the expenditure of funds. This can create the conditions

for multi-company collaboration and a joint session.

Obtain Frontline Managerial Support

Surveys (Galinsky & Hughes, 1987) of working families demonstrate that workfamily programs are ineffectual if managers and supervisors do not support

them. The company’s offer of work-family programs often comes down to the

phrasing “subject to the supervisor’s approval.” Oftentimes, the result is that the

responsibility for obtaining managerial support becomes the employee’s rather

than the company’s. And the decision to offer the program or not rests with a

middle manager whose responsibilities or perspectives prevent the employees

in a department from taking advantage of the company’s program.

For this reason, a growing trend in companies who provide work-family programs is creating the culture necessary to support the programs. An excellent

example is the accounting firm of Deloitte and Touche. In 1992, its chairman

and CEO, J. Michael Cook, sought to establish a culture in which women could

continue to take advantage of the firm’s family-friendly policies as they advanced in their careers. To accomplish this objective, Cook initiated the Retention and Advancement of Women program, which includes gender-awareness
16

seminars for the company’s managers. Since then the number of women accepting partnerships with Deloitte has doubled. In addition to helping Deloitte

and Touche establish the culture necessary to retain women in senior leadership positions, Cook’s efforts earned him Working Mother’s Townsend Award as

the Family Champion of the Year for 1997 (Moskowitz, 1997).

Collaborate with Other Businesses

and Community Organizations

Large businesses usually have an easier time planning for parent involvement

activities since they have a large number of interested parents and facilities on

site for a group meeting. In addition, eating facilities at the business make it

convenient to plan programs around lunch. With a large number of participants, it usually is easier to attract quality presenters.

Large businesses are encouraged to invite small businesses in their immediate

area that may wish to participate. Local Chambers of Commerce may be helpful

in identifying small businesses for involvement. Small businesses can designate

representatives to receive and disseminate information to other employees.

Where it is not possible for small businesses to work cooperatively with a large

business, it might be necessary for them to work independently or through the

local Chamber of Commerce. Several small businesses interested in having a

parent involvement program might form their own steering committee. One

major challenge will be determining the most convenient time and place to

meet. Schools and churches usually have meeting facilities available at convenient times.

Conduct the Program

There should be no surprises when the parenting program is actually implemented. The program, solidly grounded in the step-by-step process, should be

executed “as advertised.” With no track record or bind to tradition, steering

committee members should be especially alert to employee feedback at the

program’s outset. Obvious adjustments should be made as part of the evaluation

process.

Essential operational processes for each program session should include the

following:

★ Facilities are ready for presenters and audience

★ Introductions and agenda are prepared in advance

★ A-V needs are ready as needed

★ Handouts and other materials are prepared

★ Video of session and/or additional resources are made available to employees as follow-up

★ Evaluation and presenter follow-up is conducted
17

Conduct Evaluation and Program Follow-Up

To ensure success and continuous improvement, each program should include

an evaluation process conducted by the participants. The steering committee

should review, analyze, and report the evaluation results to all employees and

presenters. Areas for improvement should be addressed as needed. By offering

a channel for employee feedback, the company allows its employees to feel

that their voice matters. In addition, employees should be advised of where

follow-up resources, contacts, and information may be obtained both on-site as

well as through other sources.

Presenters should be formally acknowledged for their contributions through

letters of appreciation.

Make Appropriate Changes/Refinements

Though refinement is the final step (not including periodic formative evaluation) in the process, it is critical for illustrating responsiveness to the workforce

and ensuring the program’s continued success. Employee feedback should be

taken seriously and examined from every angle.
18

Gold Star Programs

Although thousands of companies throughout the country have begun workfamily initiatives, only a small number have been recognized as pioneers in this

effort. As long ago as the seventies, a few businesses recognized the need for

family-friendly policies, and fewer still had the resources to implement them.

These companies have been recognized by their local chambers of commerce,

state government, business associations, parent organizations, and the media

for having the courage and foresight to institute worksite programs that enrich

workers’ lives and foster family ideals. More importantly, however, these trailblazers made other companies cognizant of worker needs and that these needs

could be successfully met without adversely affecting productivity or profit. In

fact, as stated earlier, family-friendly workplace policies have boosted worker

productivity and company bottom lines. In addition, policies of these companies have been and still are used as models. Adaptation has been so widespread

that programs and policies considered “innovative” 20 years ago are commonplace today.

The number of companies with exemplary family-friendly policies and programs now number in the thousands. This section on Gold Star Programs is not

intended to be exhaustive. In fact, only a few programs have been chosen for

special mention. They were chosen to represent programs of varying sizes,

types, and regions of the country.
19

Neuville Industries, Inc.

Hildebran, NC

Description: Neuville is a hosiery manufacturer with a workforce of 650

employees. More than 75% are female.

Program: An innovative pioneer in family-friendly policies, Neuville has had

an on-site center serving the children and grandchildren of employees since

1979. To ensure high-quality care, the center operates slightly below its licensed

capacity of 99 children and maintains lower staff/child ratios than required by

the state. The center, called Playworld Child Development Center, is open on

Saturdays to serve employees on weekend shifts. Neuville also subsidizes nearsite care for employees working evening shifts. Playworld is no more than a

five-minute walk away from all parents in the facility.

Neuville pays staff education and training time, a policy that is untypical in forprofit child-care centers. Other Playworld policies include flexible breaks for

parents to spend more time with children, encouragement of parent participation in field trips, monthly parent-child lunches, and periodic parenting and

child safety classes for parents.

Parents pay approximately 60% of the cost of care; Neuville subsidizes the rest.

In 1980, Neuville subsidized $23,714; in 1997, the subsidy amounted to

$121,570. The average cost of daycare centers locally ranges from $90-$100 a

week; Neuville workers pay $51-$55 per week for one child with a sliding scale

for additional children. Employees receive 21-26 days of free childcare per year,

based on seniority.

Other Family-Friendly Policies:

★ Job sharing

★ Part-time workweeks with benefits

★ Limited paternity leave

★ Resource and referral program for outside centers

★ Salary continuation policy for childbirth/adoption

Benefits to Company: The advantages of family-friendly policies are numerous for Neuville. The company attracts and retains a highly qualified workforce.

The turnover rate is about 34% compared with the industry average of more

than 80%. Neuville can assure career continuity to women who might otherwise drop out of the workforce during their child-bearing years; employee

morale is enhanced; and the company enjoys a positive public image.

Contact:

Elena Azzarita

Neuville Industries, Inc.

Hildebran, NC 28637

704/397-5566, Ext. 336
20

Bayfront Medical Center, Inc.

St. Petersburg, FL

Description: Bayfront Medical Center is a 90-year-old, 502-bed, not-for-profit

hospital. There are 2,247 employees of which 1,633 are female.

Program: The Bayfront Medical Center joined the Pinellas County School

System in opening a grade school on the hospital campus for children of employees. The Bay Park Partnership School is a satellite to nearby Campbell Park

Elementary School where Bay Park children attend assemblies, group activities,

and other events of interest. Bay Park is staffed by certified public school

teachers and follows the public school curriculum.

Classes are for K-3 with eligibility limited to legal dependents of regular, fulltime, or part-time employees. Should there be openings in any class after the

start of the school year, legal dependents of other employees may be considered

for enrollment. The enrollment process begins each spring for the following

school year. Enrollment notices are distributed through Bayfront publications,

payroll vouchers, and interoffice mail.

Pre-school children of employees may attend the Bayfront Child Development

Center, across the street from Bay Park. The Bayfront Medical Center offers

scholarships to employees who meet eligibility criteria to help further offset the

expense of childcare.

Other Family-Friendly Policies:

★ Bearly Sick, a program which provides occasional sick-childcare to employees’ children who may not be accepted at school or their regular childcare

provider.

★ Flexible work schedules

★ 20/20 scholarship program (Work 20 hours, go to school 20 hours, get paid

for 40 hours)

★ Financial aid for adoption

★ Scholarships for employees’ children

Benefits to Organization: Bayfront Medical Center credits its work/life policies with decreased turnover and high employee morale. Its generous employee

scholarship program provides a more highly educated workforce.

Contact:

Angela West

Bayfront Medical Center

701 6th St. South

St. Petersburg, FL 33701

813/893-6808
21

Sanderson Farms

Collins, MS

Description: A poultry-processing company, Sanderson has approximately

6,000 total employees at seven locations. There are 1,200 employees at the

Collins plant.

Program: In 1993, Sanderson converted an old hatchery building into a modern, licensed childcare center. Community partners were essential in bringing

the project to fruition. The crafting of storage shelves was a class project in

carpentry for students at the Collins High School Vocational Center. The state

Office for Children and Youth provided major funding for the center’s teaching

materials, supplies, equipment, and some operating expenses.

The childcare center is licensed to serve as many as 360 children over two

shifts. Services offered include infant and toddler care, care for preschool

children, school-age care, and summer programs. There are four specially

designed playgrounds with one for infants.

Benefits to Company: The provision of quality childcare and education for

employees’ children has resulted in a less stressful working environment for

parents. The program also provides flexibility for families, opening before 4:30

a.m. and extending hours when work shifts run long. The center is also open on

Saturdays and holidays, whenever the plant operates.

Contact:

Chuck Adams

Sanderson Farms, Inc.

Collins, MS

601/649-4030
22

Patagonia

Ventura, CA

Description: Patagonia designs and distributes outdoor wear. There are 674

employees of which 57% are female.

Program: The Great Pacific Family Care Network is an innovative approach to

problem-solving. Despite operating a successful on-site childcare center for

children of its employees, Patagonia was still faced with the expense of recruiting new employees to replace those who had babies and decided to stay at

home because they couldn’t afford care or couldn’t find room at the center. The

96-child capacity center costs Patagonia $400,000 a year or 40% of the operating

expenses; employees pay the balance through monthly fees.

With the center full and costly, Patagonia, with Ventura County as a co-sponsor,

established a network of home daycare providers. Since 1990, the program has

grown to 20 members who care for up to 138 children. The network serves

primarily Patagonia employees and county workers. This project has recently

entered into a collaboration with Head Start to place income-eligible families

with high-quality family childcare providers.

To start the network, Patagonia spent $15,000 while Ventura County put up

$10,000. The funds give providers training and support for start-up and equipment. There are cash incentives to achieve accreditation for their programs. A

monthly newsletter supplies curriculum ideas and professional updates. The

family daycare network model can easily be adapted and utilized by companies

with multi-sites. Estimated annual subsidy ranges from $250-$335 per child.

Other Family-Friendly Policies:

★ Parent education programs at the worksite

★ Adoption assistance

★ Elder resources on a wide variety of aging and senior care topics

★ Lactation support services

★ Paid leave to support childrenís classroom activities

★ Work at home and job sharing

Benefits to Company: Patagonia is able to bring new mothers back into the

workforce faster. The State of California gives Patagonia tax credits for participating in work-family programs, and the federal government gives tax deductions. Other benefits include increased productivity, higher employee morale,

reduced absenteeism, and recruitment benefits.

In attempting to quantify the specific benefits of the Family Service Programs,

Patagonia focused on five key characteristics:

1. Savings from bringing new mothers back into the workforce when their

babies are 8-16 weeks of age. Savings include the costs of recruitment,
23

retraining, and the time expended to bring a new employee to 100% productivity. Between May 1996 and April 1997, Patagonia saved $389,840. This

sum reflects the assumption that 45% of those parents wouldn’t return to

work if they did not have quality childcare available.

2. Tax credits available for employers participating in Work-Family programs

for their employees. This tax credit produced a savings of $22,738 for 1996-

97.

3. Federal tax deductions. Approximately 35% of the program’s total subsidy is

deductible as a business cost and amounted to a benefit of $151,943 for

1996-97.

4. State tax deductions. Savings amounted to $13,354.

5. Reduction in employment taxes based on employee participation in pretax

programs for childcare and medical reimbursement. A savings of $11,105

was realized.

When overall dollar benefits were compared to total program costs, a savings of

$3,749 was realized for the company. While Patagonia doesn’t address workfamily issues for the advantages to the business but does it because it is the

right thing to do for employees, it does make business sense.

Contact:

Anita Garaway Furtaw

259 W. Santa Clara St.

Ventura, CA 93001
24

Nortel (Northern Telecom)

Research Triangle Park, NC

Description: Nortel is a leading architect of global communications networks.

Nortel designs, manufactures, and markets complete product portfolios for

wireless networks, public carrier networks, enterprise networks, and broadband

networks for worldwide communications. Nortel had 1997 revenues of $15.5

billion and has approximately 73,000 employees worldwide.

The company’s largest business unit, Public Carrier Networks, is headquartered

in Research Triangle Park (RTP), NC, where 8,500 employees design, build, and

integrate digital communications networks—the networks that telephone

companies worldwide use to provide dialtone for their customers.

Program: A nationally recognized advocate of work/family programs, Nortel

brings education professionals to the workplace to inform employees that

parental involvement is the key success factor in a child’s education. These

workplace seminars are designed to engage employees in having a positive

impact on student achievement.

The Nortel program of sponsoring workplace seminars was encouraged in 1996

by the North Carolina Business Committee for Education, a strong innovative

leader for education and family-friendly initiatives in the state. The seminars

are driven by an employee steering committee that determines relevant topics

and schedules notable speakers. Seminar topics have included “Balancing Work

and Family,” “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” and “Communicating as

a Family.” Videotapes of the seminars are available for people who are unable

to attend and employees at other Nortel locations.

The program’s impact has been so positive that Nortel is partnering with

NCBCE to encourage worksite parenting programs throughout North Carolina.

Other Family-Friendly Policies:

★ Flextime

★ Telecommuting

★ Job sharing

★ Part-time work options

Benefits to Company: The program plays an important role in improving

employee satisfaction and helping employees balance their work/family life

situations. The seminars have lively question-and-answer sessions featuring

employee input. The model program is being emulated across the state with

Nortel deriving a positive public relations image.
25

Contact:

Edgar Murphy, Community Relations Manager

Public Affairs

Nortel

4001 E. Chapel Hill-Nelson Highway

P.O. Box 13010

Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

919-992-3045

Fax 919-992-4655

email - edgarm@nortel.com
26

Stride Rite Corporation

Lexington, MA

Description: Stride Rite is a major manufacturer of athletic and casual footwear for adults and children. There are approximately 2,900 employees.

Program: Stride Rite is the first private company to establish a daycare center

for young and old alike. The $700,000 program consists of adjoining facilities

that allow easy mingling and interaction among 55 children (18 months to five

years) and 24 elderly citizens over 60. Separated only by windows and hallways,

the old and young have many opportunities to visit one another. Shared activities, such as cooking and birthday parties, are planned by the staff, but there

are spontaneous get-togethers as well.

The Center was built with the goal of developing a national model to deal with

an issue of growing national concern: associates who must not only take care of

young children but elderly parents as well. Stride Rite launched its first

childcare center in 1971 to serve the needs of both employees and community

residents.

Other Family-Friendly Policies:

★ Family leave

★ Personal leaves of absence

★ Work-family coordinators

★ One week paid leave after birth/adoption of a dependent and adoption

reimbursement up to $5,000 for related expenses for each child per year

★ Dependent Care Resource and Referral Program: a national child and elder

care resource and referral service, free to all associates, with trained specialists who identify specific openings based on personal and financial needs—

also offering referrals for pet grooming, walking, and boarding services

★ Work/Life Seminars

★ On-site Mammograms/Prostate Clinics offered once annually

★ Business Casual Dress is appropriate at all facilities year-round

★ Flexible Scheduling offering alternative work arrangements to meet the

needs of employees, including flex-scheduling, compressed workweeks, part

time, and telecommuting

★ New parent registry offering a series of lunchtime seminars for expectant

parents

★ Fitness Centers located on site

★ 401(k) Match and Pension Plans

★ All facilities smoke-free

Benefits to Company: The company’s Work/Life offerings have impacted the

organization’s productivity, retention, and recruitment. Absenteeism among

associates with children enrolled in the on-site childcare centers is reduced.

Research and referral specialists have drastically reduced the amount of time it

takes associates to identify appropriate childcare, substantially reducing stress
27

for the employee and the family, as well as reducing time away from work.

Recruitment of highly talented candidates is enhanced by offering programs

like summer hours and flex time.

Contact:

Beverlye M. Keaton

Director, Associate Relations

Human Resources

191 Spring St.

Lexington, MA 02173

617/824-6000
28

Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc.

South Burlington, VT

Description: Ben & Jerry’s is a leading maker of premium ice cream and other

frozen desserts. There are 614 employees who are 39 percent female.

Program: The company operates an extremely active and generous foundation

for corporate-giving, a vehicle normally used by much larger businesses. Ben &

Jerry’s gives away 7.5 percent of its pre-tax earnings to the foundation, employee community action teams, and corporate grants. In addition to the

foundation’s work with children and families, Ben & Jerry’s has been singled

out by the U. S. Department of Labor as having implemented worker-friendly

programs.

Other Family-Friendly Policies:

★ On-site childcare center

★ 100 percent paid disability for six weeks and 60 percent thereafter

★ $2,000 for adoption aid

★ Paid leave for maternity, paternity, or adoption

★ Paid preventative health care

★ Work/family support groups

★ Savings plan match

★ Three free pints of ice cream

★ Health club memberships

Benefits to Company: Ben & Jerry’s is a close family. Profit-sharing and

generous benefits not only keep employee turnover low but attract well-qualified applicants.

Contact:

Ben & Jerry’s Foundation

c/o Rebecca Golden

30 Community Drive

S. Burlington, VT 05403-6828

802-651-9600
29

Appendices

Appendix A

Employee Survey on Worksite Parenting Program................. 30

Appendix B

Checklists for Establishing Worksite Parenting Program........ 32

Appendix C

Resources ................................................................................ 33

Appendix D

Family Medical Leave Act History and Information .............. 44
30

Appendix A

Sample of Employee Survey on Worksite

Parenting Program

Your response to the items below will assist our company in developing an

effective worksite parenting program that is responsive to your needs. Thank

you for taking the time to complete this.

AGE OF CHILDREN NO. OF CHILDREN CURRENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

❑ 0 - 5

❑ 6 - 10 _________________ ___________________________

❑ 11 - 13

❑ 14 - 18

INTENDED POST-SECONDARY PLANS OF YOUR CHILD (check one)

❑ Four-year college/university

❑ Junior college

❑ Community college

❑ Employment

❑ Military

❑ Other (Explain) ___________________________________________________

TIME YOU PREFER TO ATTEND SESSIONS

❑ Before work

❑ Lunch time

❑ End of workday

❑ Evenings

❑ Other ____________________________________________________________

PREFERRED FREQUENCY OF SESSIONS

❑ Monthly

❑ Every 2 months

❑ Quarterly

____ YES, I am interested in serving on the Worksite Parenting Program Steering Committee to plan future activities for our company’s program.

NAME ______________________________________________________________

POSITION___________________________________________________________

PHONE/Email_______________________________________________________
31

PLEASE INDICATE PARENTING TOPICS OF INTEREST TO YOU

(check all of interest):

❑ Homework: “Your Home As a Learning Center”

❑ Communicating with the School

❑ Value of Parenting

❑ Communicating with Your Child

❑ Parent Teacher Conferences

❑ Reading to Your Child

❑ Improving Writing, Math, Science (and other subject areas)

❑ Conflict Resolution

❑ Motivation and Responsibility

❑ Discipline/Behavior

❑ Building Your Child’s Self-Esteem

❑ Balance Work/Family Responsibilities

❑ Exceptional Children/Learning Disabilities

❑ Attention Deficit Disorders

❑ Testing: Information for Parents

❑ Preparing Your Child for School

❑ School Safety: Parent and School Roles

❑ Other Topics of Interest ____________________________________________

INDIVIDUALS YOU RECOMMEND AS PRESENTERS & POSSIBLE TOPICS

(Please list names and positions of potential presenters and their topics.)

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

OPTIONAL INFORMATION

Do you currently serve as a school volunteer? YES NO

If so, what school do you serve? ________________________________________

List your major activities ______________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

____YES, I would like to serve as a school volunteer.

Special interests in school volunteer work: ______________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

PLEASE RETURN SURVEY TO:
32

Appendix B

Sample of Checklist for Establishing a Worksite

Parenting Program

Leadership Phase

❑ Planned ❑ Completed ❑ Follow-Up Needed ❑ Notes

• CEO, education, and community leadership demonstrates interest

• CEO/ senior leadership, education, and community leadership identify

steering committee leadership

• Human resource policies reviewed to assess support for family-friendly

environment

• Steering committee develops and communicates program mission statement to all employees

Planning Phase

❑ Planned ❑ Completed ❑ Follow-Up Needed ❑ Notes

• Steering committee identifies employees’ interests

• Human and financial resources assessed to consider program parameters

• Leading topics and presenters identified

• Specific programs, dates, times, location(s), and resources defined and

promoted

 • CEO/senior leadership communicates program support to all front-line

managerial support

• Communicate program to other businesses and community groups as

appropriate

Implementation and Evaluation Phase

❑ Planned ❑ Completed ❑ Follow-Up Needed ❑ Notes

• Implement the program process

• Assess employee evaluations of the program

• List areas for continuous improvement for next session — share results

• Provide follow-up information through Parent Information Center (optional)
33

Appendix C

Resources

National Organizations

U.S. Department of Education

600 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20202

E-mail Customer Service@inet.ed.gov

1-800-USA-LEARN

Evidence continues to accumulate that family involvement in education is

1. Good for business

2. Critical to children’s school achievement

3. Necessary for strong and vibrant communities

Various publications from the department that promote business and education

partnerships are available.

Childcare Action Campaign

330 7th Ave, 17th Floor

New York, NY 10001

(212) 239-0138

This organization provides information on pending legislation dealing with

childcare issues. Of special interest to employers are bills that offer tax credits

to companies who provide their employees assistance with childcare.

The Conference Board, Inc.

Customer Service Department

845 Third Avenue

New York, NY, 10022

A business research group that reports objectively on key areas of changing

management concern, opportunity and action. It operates the Work & Family

Information Center, which publishes the Work-Family Roundtable. Several of

their latest publications relate to human resource and work-family issues.

Families and Work Institute

330 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY 1001

(212) 465-2044 telephone

(212) 465-8637 fax

Funded by major corporations and foundations, this organization has pioneered

the study of work-family issues since 1989. The institute conducts research,

advises businesses on planning and implementing work-family programs, and

publishes research reports and other documents of interest to businesses.
34

The Home and School Institute

1500 Massachusetts Ave, NW

Washington, DC 20005

This is a nonprofit organization that offers workshops on fostering motivation,

problem-solving, and teamwork skills in children. Employers host workshops

and give workers time off to attend. Also publishes Home Learning Recipes and

The Survival Guide for Busy Parents.

National Childcare Information Center

243 Church Street, NW, 2nd Floor

Vienna, VA 22180

(800) 616-2242

(800) 716-2242 FAX

This organization provides information on model private-public, employercommunity, and other types of childcare partnerships.

The National Network for Collaboration

219 FLC, Box 5016

Fargo, ND 58105-5016

(701) 231-7259

(701) 231-8568 fax

Work and Family Connection, Inc.

5197 Beachside Drive

Minnetonka, MN 55343

(800) 487-7898 or (612) 936-6898

(612) 935-0122 fax

This organization is a national clearinghouse of information about work-family

issues. Through its Resource Hotline, businesses can receive coaching on

implementing family-friendly programs from experienced consultants. Work

and Family Connection, Inc., also conducts custom searches of information on

work-family policies and programs.

Work/Family Directions

930 Commonwealth Ave., West

Boston, MA 02215

617-278-4000

Provides information pertaining to childcare and elder care. Clients are primarily large companies.

US Chamber of Commerce

1615 H Street NW

Washington, DC 20062-2000

202-463-5460

202-463-3114 FAX
35

Lions Club International Headquarters

300 22nd Street

Oak Brook, IL 60523

630-571-5466

E-mail Lions@LionsClub.org

Kiwanis International

3636 Woodview Trace

Indianapolis, IN 46268

317-875-8755

317-879-0204 FAX

NACCRRA

1319 F Street NW, Suite 810

Washington, DC 20004

202-393-5501

202-393-1109 FAX

The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies provides resource information for parents and training resources for childcare

providers.

State and Regional Organizations

Family Resource Center

425 Magazine Street

Tupelo, MS 38801

601/844-0013 phone

601/844-0560 fax

E-mail grace@ebi.com

Georgia Initiative for Children and Families

Center for Family Resource Planning and Development

Family Health Branch, Division of Public Health

Georgia Department of Human Resources

2600 Skyland Drive NE, Upper Level, Room 5

Atlanta, GA 30319

404/679-0531 phone

404/679-0686 fax

E-mail jbt044e@dhr.state.ga.us

The Mississippi Forum on Children and Families, Inc.

737 N. President St.

Jackson, MS 39202

601/355-4911 phone

601-355-4813 fax

E-mail msforum@meta.net
36

North Carolina Business Committee for Education

Office of the Governor

116 W. Jones Street

Raleigh, NC 27603

919-715-3535 phone

919-733-2120 fax

E-mail twilliam@gov.state.nc.us

www.ncbce.org (Website)

SouthEastern Regional Vision for Education (SERVE)

1203 Governor Square Blvd., 4th Floor

Tallahassee, FL 32301

800-352-6001

904-671-6076

904-671-6020 FAX

New Ways to Work

785 Market Street, Suite 950

San Francisco, CA 94103

415-995-9860

415-995-9867

E-mail info@nww.org

www.nww.org (Website)

Offers guidelines for judging flextime requests and other work options.

Nine to Five

National Association of Working Women

614 Superior Avenue, NW, Suite 852

Cleveland, OH, 44113-1306

414-274-0925

414-272-2870 FAX

E-mail nat9to5@execpc.com

Job Problem Hotline (800) 522-0925

Offers books, CD ROMs, magazines, newsletters, reports, slide presentations,

and videotapes.

Resources

The Corporate Reference Guide to Work-family Programs

by Ellen Galinsky, Dana E. Friedman, and Carol A. Hernandez

437 pages, $50.00

Available from

The Families and Work Institute

330 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY 10001

Phone (212) 465-2044

The most comprehensive reference on work-family issues ever published, this

guide examines family-friendly policies ranging from flextime to subsidized

daycare. It analyzes the policies of over 150 Fortune 500 companies and profiles
37

the top ranking companies. The guide’s rating criteria is of special interest to

businesses initiating or evaluating family-friendly polices.

Early Childhood Action Tips

The Families and Work Institute

330 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY 1001

Phone (212) 465-2044

These recommendations of leaders from diverse fields explain how each of us

can contribute to the healthy development of America’s children. The tips are

organized for specific audiences, including employers and civic organizations.

Early Childhood Brain Development [Slide Show]

The Families and Work Institute

330 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY 1001

Phone (212) 465-2044

Both the short and long versions of this slide show presentation on the brain

development of young children can be adapted for different audiences.

The Family Manager’s Guide for Working Moms

by K. Peel

Ballentine Publishing Group

201 E 50th Street

New York, NY 10022

This handbook offers working parents tips on organizing and simplifying their

lives. It includes “pep talks” in the form of quotations from individuals ranging

from Dr. Spock to Abraham Lincoln.

1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce

The Families and Work Institute

330 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY 1001

Phone (212) 465-2044.

Moving from Programs to Culture Change: The Next Stage for the Corporate

Work-Family Agenda

by Dana E. Friedman and Arlene A. Johnson

26 pages, $25.00

The Families and Work Institute

330 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY 1001

Phone (212) 465-2044
38

Trend Report (One year’s subscription)

The Work and Family Connection, Inc.

5197 Beachside Drive

Minnetonka, MN 55343

Phone 800/487-7898 or 612/936-6898

This monthly newsletter contains commentary and in-depth analysis of worklife issues and trends.

White House Conference on Childcare [Videotape]

The Families and Work Institute

330 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY 1001

Phone (212) 465-2044

In this five-minute videotape, which opened the White House Conference on

Childcare on October 23, 1997, corporate CEOs, public figures, community

leaders, and parents discuss the importance of quality childcare.

Work and Family Connection-A Retrospective: Research and Results from 1990

to 1995

Published in 1996, 267 pages, $89.00 plus $5.00 shipping and handling

Work and Family Connection, Inc.

5197 Beachside Drive

Minnetonka, MN 55343

800/487-7898 or 612/936-6898

This reference covers the history via news clips of 31 types of family-friendly

programs. It identifies the companies who initiated the programs and examines

their bottom-line results.

“Work & Family” in The Wall Street Journal

Newspaper column covering trends, programs, and private and public sector

policies. Column appears Wednesdays in the Wall Street Journal. It can be

accessed at http://careers.wsj.com

E-mail sue.shellenbarger@news.wsj.com

Work and Family Newsbrief

The Work and Family Connection, Inc.

5197 Beachside Drive

Minnetonka, MN 55343

800/487-7898 or 612/936-6898

This eight-page monthly newsletter is a digest of news about work-life issues

from over 11,000 publications.

Work & Family Life Newsletter (on balancing job and personal responsibilities)

Bank Street College of Education

610 West 112th Street

New York, NY, 10025

212/663-7200 ext. 286

Circulation Office WFL, 621 1 West

Howard Street, Chicago, IL, 60648

312/875-4400
39

Working and Caring

by T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.

197 pages, $12.00

Addison-Wesley Publishers

One Jacob Way

Reading, MA 01867

(781) 944-3700

Working and Caring follows three families from pregnancy to toddlerhood as

they deal with such issues as returning to work, selecting daycare, and caring

for sick children. Throughout the book, Dr. Brazelton, Professor Emeritus of

Harvard Medical School, offers practical advice on balancing work and family.

Working Fathers: New Strategies for Balancing Work and Family

by James A. Levine and Todd L. Pittinsky

The Families and Work Institute

330 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY 1001

(212) 465-2044

Working From Home: Everything You Need to Know about Living and Working

Under the Same Roof

Paul and Sarah Edwards

Los Angeles: Tarcher, New York: St. Martin’s Press, 436 pp.

(800) 288-2131

Working Moms’ ABCs: Tips for Working Your Child’s Education [Packet]

Available free of charge from Sylvan Learning Center

(800) EDUCATE will locate the Sylvan Learning Center nearest you.

Working Mother

One year’s subscription for $9.97.

Available from Working Mother

P.O. Box 5240

Harlan, IA 51593-2740

(800) 627-0690

This magazine features a variety of articles on balancing work and family life. It

also profiles businesses with family-friendly policies and practices.

The Working Parents Handbook

by J. S. Sale, K. Kollenberg, and E. Melinkoff

Simon and Schuster Mail Order

200 Old Tappan Road

Old Tappan, NJ 07675

(800) 223-2348

Beginning with maternity leave, this handbook offers practical solutions to

problems parents face in trying to balance work and family.
40

The Working Women Count Honor Roll Report

U.S Department of Labor Women’s Bureau

Washington, D.C. 20202

Available on the Web at www.dol.gov/dol/wb/honor.htm

About a quarter million women told the Bureau that they demanded improvement in three specific areas: pay and benefits, family-friendly workplaces, and

respect and opportunity on the job.

Web Sites

Families and Work Institute

http://www.familiesandwork.org

Information on the institute’s research, publications, training, and conferences

on work-family issues.

The Fatherhood Project

http://www.fatherhoodproject.org

Suggestions on how fathers and other males can become more involved in their

children’s lives.

Work and Family Connection

http://www.workfamily.com

www.dcclifecare.com

Site offers links, resources, and statistics.

www.msbusiness.com/mbj970210

A business journal.

www.shrm.org/docs/whitepapers/dependcare.html

Site offers information for employers on setting up family friendly benefit

plans. It offers statistics. It requires membership.

www.ragan.com/pubs/search.html

Site allows searches of management-oriented journals.

www.twc.state.tx.us/svcs/workfamch/wfchp.html

This is a clearinghouse. It allows access to articles in the mainstream press on

the topic of worksite parenting.

www.carereports.com

This is a resource and referral site for childcare and elder care.

http://www.iamyourchild.org

I am your Child Campaign. Information on promoting a child’s healthy development, local services for parents, and free materials.
41

Internet Resources for Special Children

http://www.irc.org/

Connections to a variety of Internet pages on childhood diseases and disabilities.

National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities http://

www.nichcy.org

Information on all types of disabilities, from birth to age 22.

National Institutes of Health

http://www.nih.gov

Information on childhood diseases, including current research on rare diseases.

ParentSoup

http://www.parentsoup.com

Discussion groups on issues ranging from divorce to discipline.

ParenTalk Newsletter

http://www.tnpc.com/parentalk/index.html

Articles by physicians and psychologists written especially for parents.

ParenthoodWeb

http://parenthoodweb.com

Advice on parenting from pediatricians and psychiatrists and e-mail responses

to questions.

Parenting Q&A

http://www.parenting-qa.com/

Answers to commonly asked questions about parenting and other useful information.

Parents Helping Parents

http://www.php.com/

Advice from parents on caring for children with disabilities.

Parent Zone

http://parentzone.com

A variety of resources for employers and employees. It includes a resource for

interaction.

Visa Read Me a Story Program

http://www.visa.com

A Reading Check-up Guide and information on the stages of reading development.

Wellness Web

http://wellweb.com/index.htm

Advice on such topics as physician selection and medical treatment options.
42

Work+Family

http://www.workfamily.com

A searchable clearinghouse offering a variety of information. Some information

requires a subscription. It offers excellent links on many relevant topics.

Workforce Magazine on line

http://www.workforceline.com

This is a magazine intended for human resource professionals, but it offers a

search of the magazine archive which has many relevant articles.

Zero to Three

http://www.zerotothree.org

*For updates of this list, visit SERVE’s Web page at http://www.serve.edu/

Telephone Hotlines

Childcare Aware

(800) 424-2246

Referrals to licensed childcare centers and a free packet of information on

choosing good childcare.

ChildHelp National Hotline

(800)-4-A-CHILD

Advice and referrals from counselors 24 hours a day for parents who have

questions or emergencies.

Family Network on Disabilities of Florida, Inc.

(800) 825-5736 or (813) 523-1130 (Voice and TDD)

Information, referrals, training, and individualized assistance for all types of

disabilities.

Gerber Information Line

(800) 443-7237

Advice from parents and grandparents on a variety of non-medical topics.

I Am Your Child Campaign

(888) 447-3400

Information on local parenting programs and services as well as a free videotape and CD ROM.

National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities

(800) 695-0285

Information and referrals for all types of disabilities, from birth to age 22.

National Parent Information Network

(800) 583-4135

Research sent free of charge to callers on subjects ranging from toilet training to

preschools.
43

Parents Anonymous

(909) 621-6281

Referrals to state and regional Parents Anonymous organizations, support

groups, and counseling.

Single Parents Association

(800) 704-2102

Answers to questions on parenting and referrals to support groups and other

community resources.

Visa Read Me a Story Consumer Hotline

(888) 703-READ

Information on the Read Me a Story Program and on free materials that callers

can order.

Work-Family Directions

(800) 635-0606

A telephone consultation service offered by employers to employees that helps

parents learn how to motivate their children, solve learning problems, and

select schools.
44

Appendix D

Highlights of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) was enacted on February 5,

1993, and the new law became effective on August 5, 1993, for most employers.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment Standards Administration’s Wage

and Hour Division administers and enforces FMLA for all private, state, and

local government employees and some federal employees. FMLA entitles

eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave each

year for specified family and medical reasons.

The purpose of this act is to

1. Balance the demands of the workplace with the needs of families

2. Promote the stability and economic security of families

3. Promote national interests in preserving family integrity

This act entitles employees to take reasonable leave for medical reasons, for the

birth or adoption of a child, and for the care of a child, spouse, or parent who

has a serous health condition.

The law contains provisions on

★ Employer coverage

★ Employee eligibility for the law’s benefits

★ Entitlement to leave

★ Maintenance of health benefits during leave

★ Job restoration after leave

★ Protection for employees who request or take FMLA leave

★ Record-keeping for employers

All businesses should review their current policies to be sure they are updated

based upon the most recent state and federal legislation. Moreover, the local

school system should be aware of these policies so they can assist in implementing them in a fair manner. Ensure that your policies are understood by all

employees.

Employer Coverage

FMLA applies to all

★ Public agencies, including state, local, and federal employers and local

education agencies (schools)

★ Private-sector employers who employed 50 or more employees in 20 or

more workweeks in the current or proceeding calendar year and who are

engaged in commerce or in any industry or activity affecting commerce—

including joint employers and successors of covered employers
45

Employee Eligibility

To be eligible for FMLA benefits, an employee must

1. Work for a covered employer

2. Have worked for the employer for a total of at least 12 months

3. Have worked at least 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months

4. Work at a location where at least 50 employers are employed by the employer within 75 miles

Most federal and certain congressional employees are also covered by the law

and are subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management

and the Congress.

Leave Entitlement

A covered employer must grant an eligible employee up to a total of 12 workweeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for one or more of the

following reasons

★ For the birth or placement of a child for adoption or foster care

★ To care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a

serious health condition

★ To take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a

serious health condition

Spouses employed by the same employer are jointly entitled to a combined

total of 12 workweeks of family leave for the birth or placement of a child for

adoption or foster care and to care for a parent (but not a parent-in-law) who

has a serious health condition.

Leave for birth or placement for adoption or foster care must conclude within

12 months of the birth or placement.

Under some circumstances, employees may take FMLA leave intermittently—

which means taking leave in blocks of time or reducing their normal weekly or

daily work schedule.

★ If FMLA leave is for birth or placement for adoption or foster care, use of

intermittent leave is subject to the employer’s approval.

★ FMLA leave may be taken intermittently whenever medically necessary to

care for a seriously ill family member or because the employee is seriously

ill and unable to work.

Also, subject to certain conditions, employees or employers may choose to use

accrued paid leave (such as sick or vacation leave) to cover some or all of the

FMLA leave. The employer is responsible for designating if any employee’s use

of paid leave counts as FMLA leave, based on information from the employee.

In no case can used paid leave be credited as FMLA leave after the leave has

ended.
46

“Serious health condition” means an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or

mental condition that involves

★ Any period of incapacity or treatment connected with inpatient care (i.e. an

overnight stay) in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical facility

★ Any period of incapacity requiring absence of more than three calendar

days from work, school, or other regular daily activities that also involves

continuing treatment by (or under the supervision of) a health care provider

★ Continuing treatment by (or under the supervision of) a health care provider for a chronic or long-term health condition that is incurable or so

serious that, if not treated, would likely result in a period of incapacity of

more than three calendar days

★ Continuing treatment by (or under the supervision of) a health care provider for prenatal care

“Health care provider” means

★ Doctors of medicine or osteopathy authorized to practice medicine or

surgery by the state in which the doctor practices

★ Podiatrists, dentists, clinical psychologists, optometrists, and chiropractors

(limited to manual manipulation of the spine to correct a subluxation as

demonstrated by X-ray to exist) authorized to practice, and performing

within the scope of their practice, under state law

★ Nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives authorized to practice and performing within the scope of their practice as defined under state law

★ Christian Science practitioners listed with First Church of Christ, Scientist in

Boston, Massachusetts

Maintenance of Health Benefits

A covered employer is required to maintain group health insurance coverage

for an employee on FMLA leave whenever such insurance was provided before

the leave was taken and on the same terms as if the employee had continued to

work. If applicable, arrangements will need to be made for employees to pay

their share of health insurance premiums.

In some instances, the employer may recover premiums it paid to maintain

health coverage for an employee who fails to return to work from FMLA leave.

Job Restoration

Upon return from FMLA leave, an employee must be restored to his or her

original job with equivalent pay, benefits, and other employment terms and

conditions. In addition, an employee’s use of FMLA leave cannot result in the

loss of any employment benefit that the employee earned or was entitled to

before using FMLA leave.

Under specified and limited circumstances where restoration to employment

will cause substantial and grievous economic injury to its operations, an em-
47

ployer may refuse to reinstate certain highly paid “key” employees after using

FMLA leave during which health coverage was maintained. To do so, the employer must

1. Notify the employee of his/her status as “key” employee in response to the

employee’s notice of intent to take FMLA leave.

2. Notify the employee as soon as the employer decides it will deny job restoration and explain the reasons for this decision.

3. Offer the employee a reasonable opportunity to return to work from FMLA

leave after giving this notice.

4. Make a final determination as to whether reinstatement will be denied at

the end of the leave period if the employee then requests restoration.

A “key” employee is a salaried “eligible” employee who is among the highestpaid ten percent of employees within 75 miles of the worksite.

Notice and Certification

Employees seeking to use FMLA leave may be required to provide

1. 30-day advance notice of the need to take FMLA leave when the need is

foreseeable

2. Medical certifications supporting the need for leave due to a serious health

condition affecting the employee or an immediate family member

3. Second or third medical opinions and periodic recertification (at the

employer’s expense)

4. Periodic reports during FMLA leave regarding the employee’s status and

intent to return to work

When leave is needed to care for an immediate family member or the

employee’s own illness and is for planned medical treatment, the employee

must try to schedule treatment so as not to unduly disrupt the employer’s

operation.

Covered employers must post a notice approved by the Secretary of Labor

explaining rights and responsibilities under FMLA. An employer that willfully

violates this posting requirement may be subject to a fine of up to $100 for each

separate offense.

Also, covered employers must inform employees of their rights and responsibilities under FMLA. This includes giving specific information on what is

required of the employee giving notice of an intent to take FMLA leave and

what might happen in certain circumstances, such as if the employee fails to

return to work after FMLA.

Unlawful Acts

It is unlawful for any employer to interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise

of any right provided by the FMLA. It is also unlawful for an employer to

discharge or discriminate against any individual for opposing any practice or

because of involvement in any proceeding related to FMLA.
48

Enforcement

FMLA is enforced, including investigation of complaints, by the U.S. Labor

Department’s Employment Standards Administration’s Wage and Hour Division. If violations cannot be satisfactorily resolved, the Department may bring

action in court to compel compliance. An eligible employee may also bring a

private civil action against an employer for violations.

Other Provisions

Special rules apply to employees of local education agencies. Generally, these

rules provide for FMLA leave to be taken in blocks of time when intermittent

leave is needed or the leave is required near the end of a school term.

Salaried executive, administrative, and professional employees of covered

employers who meet the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) criteria for exemption

from minimum and overtime under Regulations 29 CFR Part 54 1 do not lose

their FLSA-exempt status by using unpaid FMLA leave. This special exception to

the “salary basis” requirements for FLSA’s exemption extends only to “eligible”

employees’ use of leave required by FMLA.

The FMLA does not affect any other federal or state law that prohibits discrimination, nor supersede any state or local law that provides greater family or

medical leave protection. Nor does it affect an employer’s obligation to provide

greater leave rights under a collective bargaining agreement or employment

benefit plan. The FMLA also encourages employers to provide more generous

leave rights.

Further Information

For more information, please contact the nearest office of the Wage and Hour

Division listed in most telephone directories under U.S. Government, Department of Labor, Employment Standards Administration.
49

About the SERVE Organization

SERVE, the SouthEastern Regional Vision for Education, is an educational

organization whose mission is to promote and support the continual improvement of educational opportunities for all learners in the Southeast. To address

the mission, SERVE engages in research and development in educational issues

of critical importance to educators in the region and in the provision of research-based services to SEAs and LEAs which are striving for comprehensive

school improvement. Committed to a shared vision of the future of education in

the region, the organization is governed by a board of directors that includes the

chief state school officers, governors, and legislative representatives from

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and

representatives of teachers and the private sector.

SERVE’s core component is a Regional Educational Laboratory funded since

1990 by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S.

Department of Education. SERVE has additional major funding from the Department in the areas of Migrant Education and School Leadership and is the

lead agency in the Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Consortium for the

Southeast and the Southeast and Islands Regional Technology in Education

Consortium (SEIR◆TEC). Based on these grants and contracts, SERVE has

developed a system of programs and initiatives that provides a spectrum of

resources, services, and products for responding to local, regional, and national

needs. These program areas are

★ Program on Assessment, Accountability, and Standards

★ Program for Children, Families, and Communities

★ Program on Education Policy

★ Program for the Improvement of Science and Mathematics Education

★ Program on School Development and Reform

★ Program on Technology in Learning

SERVE’s National Specialty Area is Early Childhood Education, and the staff of

SERVE’s Program for Children, Families, and Communities is developing the

expertise and the ability to provide leadership and support to the early childhood community nationwide for children from birth to eight years old.

In addition to the program areas, the SERVE Evaluation Department supports

the evaluation activities of the major grants and contracts and provides evaluation services to SEAs and LEAs in the region. Through its Publishing and Quality Assurance Department, SERVE publishes a variety of studies, training

materials, policy briefs, and other products of the programs. These informative

and low-cost publications include guides to available resources, summaries of

current issues in education policy, and examples of exemplary educational

programs. Through its programmatic, evaluation, and publishing activities,

SERVE also provides contracted staff development and technical assistance in

many areas of expertise to assist education agencies in achieving their school

improvement goals.
50

The SERVE head office is at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro,

with major staff groups located in Tallahassee, FL, and Atlanta, GA, and policy

advisors in each state department of education in the region. Current and

detailed information on any of the program and service areas noted here may

be found on SERVE’s site on the World Wide Web at www.serve.org.

SERVE–Alabama

Education Policy Analyst

Office forthcoming—please call the SERVE

main office for assistance at 800-755-3277

SERVE–Florida

Publishing and Quality Assurance;

SERVEing Young Children;

School Development and Reform

1203 Governor’s Square Blvd.

Suite 400

Tallahassee, FL 32301

850-671-6000 • 800-352-6001

Fax 850-671-6020

Database Information Services Center

1203 Governor’s Square Blvd.

Suite 400

Tallahassee, FL 32301

850-671-6012 • 800-352-3747

Fax 850-671-6020

Education Policy Analyst

Office of the Commissioner

The Capitol, LL 24

Tallahassee, FL 32399

850-488-9513

Fax 850-488-1492

Eisenhower Consortium for Mathematics

and Science Education at SERVE

1203 Governor’s Square Blvd.

Suite 400

Tallahassee, FL 32301

850-671-6033 •800-854-0476

Fax 850-671-6010

SERVE–Georgia

Urban Education and Teacher Leadership

41 Marietta Street, NW

Suite 1110

Atlanta, GA 30303

800-755-3277

Fax 404-577-7812

Education Policy Analyst

Georgia Department of Education

2066 Twin Towers East

Atlanta, GA 30334

404-657-0148

Fax 404-651-4673

SERVE-Mississippi

Education Policy Analyst

State Department of Education

P.O. Box 771

Jackson, MS 39201

601-359-3501

Fax 601-359-3667

SERVE–North Carolina (Main Office)

Assessment, Standards, and Accountability; Education Policy; Evaluation; Executive Services; Operations

P.O. Box 5367

Greensboro, NC 27435

336-334-3211 • 800-755-3277

Fax 336-334-3268

Anchor School Project; Children, Families,

and Communities; Region IV Comprehensive Center; SERVE Leaders Institute;

Southeast and Islands Regional Technology in Education Consortium

P.O. Box 5406

Greensboro, NC 27435

336-334-3211 • 800-545-7075

Fax 336-334-4671

Education Policy Analyst

Department of Public Instruction

Education Building

301 North Wilmington Street

Raleigh, NC 27601-2825

919-715-1245

Fax 919-715-1278

SERVE–South Carolina

Education Policy Analyst

Office forthcoming—please call the SERVE

main office for assistance at 800-755-3277
51

SERVE Publications

Ordering Information

1. Please complete the order form at the end of the publications/products

listing and mail with check or purchase order to SERVE, Publishing and

Quality Assurance, 1203 Governor’s Square Boulevard, Suite 400, Tallahassee, Florida 32301. Make check or purchase order out to SERVE, a federally

funded contract administered by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Federal ID EIN#56-6001-468).

2. Discounts are available for most SERVE products when you purchase units

of fifty or more. Please contact (800) 352-6001 for discount information.

3. If you are requesting an invoice, your order must include a purchase order

number.

4. We ship by U.S. Mail and United Parcel Service. Please calculate your shipping charges from the table below. Shipping charges will be higher for

special orders and shipping outside the continental U.S. Please allow two

weeks for delivery from the time we receive the order in our office. If you

require special shipping arrangements, let us know. In most cases, we can

accommodate your needs. Publication prices are subject to change.

5. For more information regarding SERVE’s products and ordering procedures,

please call (800) 352-6001.

Shipping and Handling Charges

Up to $30.00 ................................................................................................... $2.50

$30.01 to $60.00 .............................................................................................. $5.00

$60.01 to $100.00 ............................................................................................ $7.50

$100.01 to $150.00 ........................................................................................ $10.00

$150.01 to $200.00 ........................................................................................ $12.50

$200.01 and above .............................................................................. call for price

Publications

Description Item # Price

1996 SERVE Regional Forum on School Improvement Proceedings SIPROC $8.00

1997 SERVE Regional Forum on School Improvement Proceedings SIPRO2 $8.00

Achieving Your Vision of Professional Development HTEPD $10.00

Action Research: Perspectives from Teachers’ Classrooms MSARP $12.00

Appreciating Differences: Teaching and Learning in a Culturally

Diverse Classroom HTADI $10.00

Assessment Hotspots (Volume 1, Number 1) MAAHS $8.00

Assessment in Early Childhood Education: Status of the Issue ECESI $1.00

A Call to Action: Family Involvement as a Critical Component of Teacher

Education Programs HTCTA $6.00
52

Chartering for Excellence: Developing and Implementing

Charter School Legislation HTCFE $6.00

Children Exposed to Drugs: Meeting Their Needs HTSEC $10.00

Children Exposed to Drugs: What Policymakers Can Do PBCED $1.00

Comprehensive School Improvement HTCSI $8.00

Coming Together: Collaboration as a Tool for Change ECCTC $3.00

Continuity in Early Childhood Education: A Framework for Home,

School, and Community Linkages ECECE $12.00

Designing Teacher Evaluation Systems that Support Professional Growth RDTES $8.00

Designing the School of Your Dreams SSDSD $6.00

Does Class Size Make a Difference? RDCSD $4.00

Ed Talk: What We Know About Mathematics Teaching and Learning EDMAT $7.00

Ed Talk: What We Know About Reading Teaching and Learning EDRTL $7.00

Ed Talk: What We Know About Science Teaching and Learning EDSCI $7.00

Evaluation of the Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing Program RDADE $4.00

Families and Schools: An Essential Partnership SSFSP $6.00

Family-Focused Workplace Guide ECFFG $9.00

Future Plans Planning Guide FPPLG $8.00

Going to Scale with TQM: The Pinellas County Schools’ Journey

Toward Quality SSPCS $12.00

Head, Heart, and Hands for Our Youngest Children ECHHH $5.00

How to Assess Student Performance in Science: Going Beyond

Multiple-Choice Tests RDSPS $10.00

Improving Reading: Southeastern School Strategies SSIRS $6.00

Improving Schools Now: Accessing SERVE’s Programs, Products,

and Publications (1998) PRHIS2 FREE

Improving Schools Now: A Catalog of SERVE’s Products and

Publications (1999) PRISN FREE

Improving Student Motivation: A Guide for Teachers

and School Improvement Leaders RDISM $12.00

Interagency Collaboration: Improving the Delivery of Services

to Children and Families HTICO $12.00

Issues to Consider in Moving Beyond a Minimal Competency

High School Graduation Test RDMCT $4.00

Leading Change in Literacy: Southeastern District Stories SSLCL $6.00

Learning By Serving: 2,000 Ideas for Service Learning Programs HTLBS $8.00

A New Framework for School Accountability Systems RDFRA $3.00

Overcoming Barriers to School Reform in the Southeast RDBAR $3.00

Planning for School Improvement: A Report on a Comprehensive

Planning Process SRPSI $1.00

PROBE: Designing School Facilities for Learning PRDSF $10.00

Promising Service-Learning Programs SSPSL $1.00

Ready, Aim, Reform! Resources for School Reform HTRAR $8.00

Reducing School Violence: Building a Framework for School Safety HTRSV $8.00

Reengineering High Schools for Student Success HTRHS $8.00

Reflecting on Progress: Site-Based Management and School

Improvement in North Carolina RDROP $4.00

Resources for School Improvement: How to Improve Schools Now HTRSI $10.00

Safe Schools: What the Southeast is Doing PBSSC $1.00

School Board Member Training in the Southeast RDBMT $4.00

Schools for the 21st Century: New Roles for Teachers and Principals HTSTC $8.00

Science in the Elementary Classroom: Portraits of Action Research MSARE $12.00

Selecting High-Quality Charter Schools: What Policymakers Can Do PBSCS $1.00

South Pointe Elementary School (Year 1): A Public-Private Partnership RDSP1 $1.00
53

South Pointe Elementary School (Year 2): A Public-Private Partnership RDSP2 $1.00

South Pointe Elementary School (Year 3): A Public-Private Partnership RDSP3 $1.00

Southern Crossroads: A Demographic Look at the Southeast SRSCR $3.00

Supporting Family Involvement in Early Childhood Education:

A Guide for Business SRSFI $5.00

Teacher Evaluation: The Road to Excellence SSTER $6.00

Technology Infrastructure in Schools and Plugging In: Choosing

and Using Educational Technology PITI $10.00

Terrific Transitions: Ensuring Continuity of Services for Children

and Their Families ECTTC $5.00

Together We Can: A Guide for Crafting a Profamily System of

Education and Human Services SRTWC $8.00

Total Quality Management: Passing Fad or “The Real Thing”?

An Implementation Study RDTQM $5.00

Using Accountability as a Lever for Changing the Culture of

Schools: Examining District Strategies RDUAL $8.00

Using Technology to Improve Teaching and Learning HTTEC $8.00

Welfare to Work: Early Childhood Care and Education PBWTW $1.00

Youth Apprenticeship: A School-to-Work Transition Program HTYAP $8.00

Videotapes

Drug-Free Schools: A Generation of Hope (Running time: 27:00) VTDFS $19.95

Future Plans Videotape: Making the Most of Technology in the

Classroom (Running time: 27:10) FPPAK $19.95

Passages: Providing Continuity from Preschool to School

(Running time: 32:25) VTPST $19.95

School Improvement: A Journey Toward Change (Running time: 23:00) VTCSI $19.95

Southern Crossroads: A Demographic Look at the Southeast

(Running time: 22:00) VTSCR $19.95

Southern Solutions in Improving Mathematics and Science:

General Audiences (Running time: 27:00) VTMS3 $19.95

Southern Solutions in Improving Mathematics and Science:

Policymakers (Running time: 60:00) VTMS6 $19.95

Southern Solutions in Improving Mathematics and Science:

Teachers/Practitioners (Running time: 1:24:00) VTMS9 $19.95

Training and Seminars

For information on these training programs, please call 800-352-6001.

Leadership for Collaboration: A Training Program TRNLC

Providing a Safe and Healthy School Community TRNSH

For information on these training programs, please call 800-545-7075.

Legal Principles Related to School Violence, Safety, Security and

Student Management Discipline TRNLP

CD-Rom

To order this item, please call 800-545-7075.

M.U.D. Pie, 1997 $49.95
54

Mail to:

SERVE

Publishing and Quality Assurance

1203 Governor's Square Boulevard

Suite 400

Tallahassee, Florida 32301

Please photocopy this form for future orders.

NOTE: Ordering information and this form are located in the back of most SERVE publications.

Order Form

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Title 

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add 7% sales tax

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$9.00