Boost Your Competitive Edge:

Actions for a Healthy, 

Productive Workforce
2
Introduction 

As a business leader, you know that the greatest strength of 

your organization walks out the door at 5 p.m. More so than the 

quality of your product or strength of your business model, your 

company’s success depends on its employees.

Recognizing your people as your greatest competitive advantage 

is the first step to setting them—and yourself—up for success. 

Next, it is important to recognize that the stress your employees 

feel outside of work joins them in the office, affecting their 

focus, commitment, and ability to get things done. You’ve heard 

the break room chatter: “I’m stressed...my family is struggling 

with...I wish I could get more time to...”

There are actions you can take now to decrease your employees’ 

stress, which could, over time, help you:

■ Retain current1 and recruit new employees; 

■ Increase your employees’ enthusiasm and commitment to 

their work;1

■ Get more and higher quality work done;1

■ Reduce the number of days your employees call in sick;2 and

■ Lower your health care costs.2

Your efforts could also make a difference over the long term. 

Your employees are parenting the future workforce, so what you 

do now matters to ensure that today’s children grow up to be 

healthy employees and citizens.

This resource outlines actions your organization, no matter what 

size or shape, can take to ensure a healthier and more productive 

workforce, now and into the next generation: 

1. Model safe, stable, nurturing relationships in your 

organization;

2. Create a family-friendly workplace;

3. Take a comprehensive approach to employee 

wellness;

4. Provide parenting resources for employees; and

5. Consider the role of state and local policy in 

improving employees’ and their children’s access 

to safe, stable, nurturing relationships and 

environments.

Use this resource as a guide to consider strategic investments 

that may reduce employee stress through the promotion of 

safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments for 

your employees and their children, as well as throughout your 

community as a whole.

Beyond the Bottom Line

It is just good business to prioritize 

actions that can increase your 

competitive advantage and 

ultimately improve your bottom 

line. The great news is that the 

suggested actions in this resource 

can also have broader societal 

impacts, including reducing and 

preventing child abuse and neglect.

How? These actions facilitate safe, 

stable, nurturing relationships 

and environments for all 

families and children. Safety, 

stability, and nurturing are three 

critical qualities of relationships 

and environments that make a 

difference for children as they grow 

and develop.

Ensuring safe, stable, nurturing 

relationships and environments 

may also lead to:

■ Children being ready to learn 

in school.

■ Laying the foundation needed 

for development of reasoning, 

problem solving, and planning 

skills.

■ A well prepared and more 

productive workforce.

■ Lower absenteeism and 

employer turnover.

■ Safe, desirable community/

state locations for your 

business.

■ A stronger economy.

■ Reduction in healthcare costs.

3
Opportunities for Action

1. Model safe, stable, nurturing relationships in your workplace.

Experiencing positive relationships in the workplace is important. We know that adults who have good 

relationships are not only more engaged and productive at work, but also more equipped to provide a 

safe, stable, and nurturing home environment for their children.3

Here’s how you can model safe, stable, nurturing relationships in your workplace:

■ Work to improve workplace relationships.

Employees have relationships with their supervisors 

and coworkers, and those relationships require daily 

nurturing, just like all relationships. Provide opportunities 

for employees to bond and strengthen their relationships. 

Teambuilding activities are a great start, but simply taking 

time to get to know one another and explore common 

interests is important as well.

■ Create a culture where employees feel valued. 

Study after study suggests that productivity increases 

when workers feel valued. Recognizing great work and 

employee accomplishments will help them to feel valued 

by the company.

■ Be the change you want to see. When top leaders 

consistently demonstrate how employees should be 

treated, they influence the behavior of others and set 

the culture of the organization. Leaders can also model 

the use of workplace programs and policies, which 

could make employees more comfortable with using 

them themselves. For example, leaders can participate 

in Employee Assistance Program (EAP) activities and/

or take advantage of flexible hours and telework 

opportunities.

Small 

Business 

Tip

Model safe, stable, 

nurturing relationships 

with modest investments:

• Host a family fun night.

• Hold “lunch and learn” 

sessions around topics 

identified by staff.

• Institute an Employee of 

the Month recognition 

program.

• Establish an employee 

committee that 

determines how your 

company can support 

community organizations/

causes through volunteer 

work or funding.

Example:

■ Oshkosh Corporation, a truck and vehicle manufacturing company, shows appreciation for 

employees through comprehensive training and advancement opportunities and tuition 

reimbursement. They also offer a rotation program whereby engineers can learn new skills in 

different units then apply for job opportunities that are posted specifically for internal candidates.4

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5

2. Create a family-friendly workplace.

Oftentimes, employees struggle with maintaining balance between their work and 

home lives. Navigating this balance can be a challenge for all employees, especially 

as they take on multiple life roles of parenting or caring for other family members. 

Employers who institute policies and practices to provide a family-friendly 

work environment demonstrate to employees that every aspect of their lives is 

important, not just their work life. 

During a June 2014 White House Summit on Working Families, business leaders 

and employees discussed the challenges that face everyday workers in America, 

including lack of access to flexible work hours, paid family leave, affordable 

childcare, and a livable minimum wage. A family-friendly workplace benefits 

the employee as well as his/her family and allows for increased productivity, 

lower turnover, and stronger family bonds. Here are some ways you can create a 

family-friendly workplace:

■ Support nursing mothers by allowing adequate break time and providing a 

lactation room (clean, quiet, non-restroom space). All employers covered 

by the Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA), regardless of the size of their 

business, are already required to provide a nursing mother reasonable 

break time and a private, non-bathroom space to express their breast milk 

[29 U.S.C. § 207(r)]. However, an employer with fewer than 50 employees 

is not subject to these FLSA requirements if they can demonstrate that 

compliance would impose an undue hardship[29 U.S.C. § 207(r)(3)].

■ Offer flexible work schedules and teleworking arrangements when 

possible. Include all employees, regardless of if they have children, in these 

arrangements.

■ Offer paid family leave so that new parents can experience early bonding 

with their child and so that employees can serve as caregivers to older or 

ailing relatives.

■ Provide access to high-quality childcare and back-up care (on-site or 

through subsidizing the cost).

■ Look for meaningful ways to include children of employees in your charity 

or social sponsored events.

“We simply 

believe that by 

treating our employees 

well and creating an 

excellent experience, 

including a great balance 

in their lives, they will be 

even more focused on 

doing amazing work 

for our clients.”

– John Tobin, 

Slalom Consulting 

Co-Founder

Small 

Business 

Tip 

Create a family-friendly 

workplace with modest 

investments:

• Transform a small 

storage room into a 

lactation room with 

minimal resources.

• Support activities where 

employees can include 

their children, such as 

“bring your kid to work 

day” or hosting a family 

BBQ.

• Allow flex time to 

attend parent teacher 

conferences and/or 

special school activities.

• Solicit ideas from your 

employees on no- or lowcost ways to help them 

juggle their dual parent/

employee roles (might 

include job sharing, 

working from home, 

bringing infants to work).
6

Examples:

■ Denver-based Johnson Moving & Storage offers telework, a flexible work week, and job sharing 

to many of its more than 200 employees, including customer service representatives, order-entry 

associates, and long-distance dispatchers. The company has experienced markedly reduced turnover 

and gross profit above the industry average as a result of its workplace policies.6

■ Many of IKEA’s Savannah Distribution Center’s 110 employees work on shift schedules. When 

gas prices skyrocketed several years ago, employees approached managers about the possibility 

of moving to a compressed work schedule. Now, the Center works on a four-day, 10-hour work 

week—but employees who could not make the change work, including parents with child care 

responsibilities, maintained their old schedules. This approach has allowed the Center to reduce 

turnover and increase efficiency.7

■ Florida-based Team Horner, a privately owned swimming pool and spa distributor, offers an 

employee-driven “Color Me Healthy” initiative that includes more than 35 programs that address 

emotional and physical health. Team Horner grants flex time on an individual basis for family and 

health issues and expecting mothers work flexible hours in the later stages of pregnancy, then work 

remotely after the baby is born. Ninety-four percent of Team Horner employees said they feel they 

can openly communicate with their supervisor and 25 percent of employees have been with Team 

Horner for 10 years or longer.8

3. Take a comprehensive approach to employee wellness.

Many companies limit their definition of wellness to include only physical fitness and nutrition. Both are 

very important health considerations, but there are other aspects of health that should not be ignored.

Mental and emotional wellbeing play a major role in how one deals with stress. Helping 

employees to manage mental health concerns, including substance abuse, requires special 

consideration.

“Early childhood 

development is the 

compelling economic, 

social, and moral issue of 

our time. It helps provide all 

children with the opportunity 

they deserve to develop their 

natural abilities. It is also the 

most effective way to build the 

workforce and customer base we 

need. Investing in young children’s 

healthy development is a financial 

and social imperative for any 

country.”

– John Pepper, Former 

Chairman and CEO, Proctor 

& Gamble; Co-chair, 

ReadyNation; CEO, Task 

Force on Early 

Childhood
7

One way you can address total wellness in the workplace while maintaining a sense of trust and 

anonymity is to provide an Employee Assistance Program that offers the appropriate mental health 

support, education, and referral services for your employees and their families. Be sure that all employees 

are aware of the benefits of the Employee Assistance Program and understand how to access it.

Providing an Employee Assistance Program gives you the added benefit of cost savings from reduced 

medical, disability, and workers’ compensation claims as well as potential losses related to personal 

problems that may decrease employee productivity.

9,10

4. Provide parenting resources for employees.

Providing employees with the tools to handle parenting issues may help to reduce stress and 

worrying and allow employees to be more productive in the long run.

Several organizations have pulled together extensive research on child development and helpful parenting 

skills. Sharing this information with your employees can equip them with the necessary tools to understand 

their child and to respond appropriately to their behaviors. Reducing parental stress can have a positive 

effect on family functioning and a parent’s health and mood. Here are several free resources you can share:

CDC’s Positive Parenting Tips 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/index.html

CDC’s Essentials for Parenting Toddlers and Preschoolers

http://www.cdc.gov/parents/essentials/

CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/

Bright Futures 

http://brightfutures.aap.org/

Extension’s “Just in Time” Newsletters and Resources 

http://www.extension.org/parenting

Text4Babies

https://www.text4baby.org/

Small Business Tip

Take a comprehensive approach to employee wellness with a modest investment:

• Compile an informal list of helplines, mental and other health resources, and services in 

your community.

Example:

Experient Health Insurance, an advocate for total health, hosts a community blog covering various topics 

related to workplace health and wellness.11 For example, they have gathered resources for preventing 

substance abuse in the workplace, and strategies include:

■ Resources for self-screening;

■ Telephone hotlines;

■ Changing workplace alcohol use policies (e.g., at holiday parties); and

■ Advocating for insurance companies to cover screening, intervention, and treatment referral services.
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Approximately 60% of Fortune 500 Companies offer parenting 

education programs for employees.12 Many organizations offer 

parenting education programs as part of a comprehensive approach 

to employee wellness. 

Examples:

■ San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) 

has partnered with local agencies to bring doctoral-level child 

development experts to talk about issues parents might face 

at different developmental stages. For example, one workshop 

discussed how to parent children differently by stage of their 

development (e.g., a toddler having a tantrum vs. a teen’s poor 

report card).

■ Apple, Inc. offers classes on topics such as infant and toddler 

sleep problems, kindergarten preparedness, and behavior 

management for all age groups.

5. Consider the role of state and local policy in improving employees’ and their children’s 

access to safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments.

Emerging evidence points to several promising policies that promote safe, stable, nurturing relationships 

and environments for families, and prevent child abuse and neglect. Employers can get more involved 

by partnering with various types of organizations in your community, including: state and local health 

departments, media, schools, and faith- and community-based organizations. Options to consider include:

■ Look for opportunities to connect with others in your community. When you become an integral part of 

the community, you’ll be able to understand the unique needs and issues of those who live there.

■ Use your networks to provide community leaders and decision-makers with information on how policy 

changes can directly benefit children, families, communities, and local businesses.

■ Share your organization’s stories about how policy change has positively impacted your employees, 

their families, and your bottom line.

Small 

Business 

Tip

Provide parenting resources 

with modest investments:

• Develop a list of resources 

(including those listed on 

page 7), helplines, and other 

services in your community and 

make them available to your 

employees. 

• Offer “lunch and learn” sessions 

around parenting topics; explore 

resources for expert presenters 

at organizations, colleges or 

universities in your area.
9

Selected State/Local Policies Associated with 

Impact on Child Abuse and Neglect 

■ Access to quality child care: Child care can bolster parents’ ability to work and support a family as 

well as increase children’s exposure to safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments. Access 

to affordable child care also reduces parents’ stress (a risk factor for physical abuse).13,14 

■ Paid parental leave: Policies that provide new parents with the freedom to spend time away from 

work caring for their newborn without the stress associated with adverse economic experiences 

(unemployment or long periods without pay) can help parents and allow them to be better employees 

when they return to work. Parental stress is a risk factor for physical child abuse. Paid maternity leave 

is also associated with increased breastfeeding and some research has shown that breastfeeding is 

associated with substantially lower risk for child abuse and neglect.15

■ Easier access to support services: Policies that streamline complicated application processes for 

public assistance programs, such as Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) 

and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), may reduce parental stress associated with 

child abuse and neglect.16,17,18

■ Enhance Economic Self-Sufficiency: Policies that increase economic self-sufficiency for lower 

income families (e.g. livable wages, subsidies for basic needs) may alleviate some of the parental 

stress associated with child abuse and neglect.19,20

 Examples:

■ In July 2013, Rhode Island’s Governor signed the Paid Family Leave bill into law. This was 

accomplished through a broad partnership including Family Values at Work, Main Street Alliance, the 

American Sustainable Business Council, the Small Business Majority, and the US Women’s Chamber 

of Commerce, and with support from Moms Rising. The partnership chose to frame the need for paid 

family leave as an economic issue (i.e. excess costs to businesses when they lose valued employees 

and have to recruit and retrain new ones and lost revenue for the state due to women being out of the 

workforce). The partnership also chose to deal with paid family leave as a caregiver issue (i.e. not a 

women’s issue), which affects caregivers of newborns through the elderly.21  

■ In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the New Hope Project offered low-income individuals and families the 

opportunity to use a comprehensive set of integrated program services designed to increase income, 

financial security, and access to full-time employment, and showed positive impacts on children’s 

environments and improvements in their social behavior and school performance.22

■ ReadyNation is a business membership organization that works to strengthen business and improve the 

economy and  workforce through public and private policies and investments for children and youth. In 

2015, ReadyNation members across the U.S. informed efforts that led to more than $2 billion in new 

state and federal funding for policies and programs for children and youth. ReadyNation also works at 

the international level, helping countries build networks of business champions for children.23

Small Business Tip

Consider the role of state and local policy with modest investments:

• Learn about policies that support safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments for families 

and children and have positive impact on your community and business.

• Join small business associations, the Chamber of Commerce, and/or your specific industry groups.
10

10

When children and their families have access to safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments, 

individuals and communities flourish and businesses prosper. For more information on promoting safe, 

stable, nurturing relationships and environments and preventing child abuse and neglect, visit CDC’s 

Essentials for Childhood Web site at: 

http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/childmaltreatment/essentials/index.html. 

References

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abuse, household dysfunction, and indicators of impaired adult worker performance. The 

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reports/report_1.pdf

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The effect of Early Head Start on child welfare system involvement: A first look at longitudinal 

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11

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United States and Implications for Prevention,” Available: www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/

childmaltreatment/EconomicCost.html.

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Health Affairs 2007; 26(1):w22–w30.

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urban.org/url.cfm?ID=311282.

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23. Ready Nation. Council for a Strong America. http://www.readynation.org/about-us/overviewmission/

“For a company 

to be successful over 

time and create value for 

shareholders, it must also 

create value for society.”

– Peter Brabeck, 

Nestle Chairman 

and Former CEO
For more information, please contact:

Division of Violence Prevention

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

4770 Buford Highway, MS F-64, Atlanta, GA 30341

Telephone: 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636)/TTY:1-888-232-6348

www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention

AK-2016 Revised September 2019 to clarify content related 

to the Federal Labor Standards Act.