A Guide to Family-Oriented Employment Policies - Vol.19 No.9 - May 1993

Oct 13, 2026

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Family-oriented employment policies are presented as a practical response to the way family issues become work issues. As EAPs broaden to cover diverse responsibilities beyond traditional caregiving, employers that fail to support employees face higher turnover, tardiness, absenteeism, and reduced productivity. The guide outlines how absenteeism and caregiving burdens affect employees, summarizes survey findings on common written policies, and lists family-friendly resources and work-family manager support functions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

A Guide to Family-Oriented Employment Policies

Employee assistance programs and expanded family responsibilities

Absenteeism and caregiving pressures

Common written policies found in a survey

Family-friendly resources and work-family support roles

EmployeeBenefits Report Prepared by John D.Reynolds,Employee Benefits Consultant # A Guide to Family-Oriented EmploymentPolicies Family problems have a way of becoming work problems.With traditional extended family networks fraying and pub-lic and private support networks strained to the breakingpoint,many workers turn to theiremployers with their per-sonal problems.An early recognition of this trend was thecreation of employee assistance programs(EAPs).WithEAPs,companies were able to assist employees whoneeded help with alcoholism,drugs,oremotional and psy-chological problems. EAPs were a start,but companies are now finding thattheir employees'problems are more diverse and extendto balancing what have long been considered purely famil-ial responsibilities(e.g.,caring for children and elderlyparents and handling personal finances).Companies thatdo not help theiremployees solve these problems are likelyto experience increased turnover,tardiness,absenteeism,and lower productivity. AWay to Handle Absenteeism.Higher absentee ratesfor female employees than for male employees may belargely attributable to problems associated with caring foryoung children or elderly relatives,burdens that still falllargely to women.A sick child or a problem with a babysit-ter is far more likely to call a mother away from the work-place than a father.Even when an employee has madearrangements for someone else to provide care,thesearrangements sometimes falter because of caregiverturnover,inconvenience,or cost. Replacing a worker who is excessively tardy or absentmay seem like a solution,but it may actually cost morethan being accommodating.Family leave or flexiblework arrangements can cost less than obtaining perma-nent replacements since replacement costs include disability Vol.19,No.9 May 1993 Also In This lssue: ■The Facts About Dependent-CareAssistance Programs……………………3 ■Everyone Can Win With Employer-Supported Child Care.…… ……………5 ■Ways to Help Employees Care for ElderlyDependents… … …… …7 ■Pension and Benefits Trends …8 pay,leave-related changes in productivity,and the timespent training a replacement. The availability of family-oriented employment poli-cies,programs,and benefits is also a growing considera-tion for prospective employees in making the decision toaccept work.This is partly due to the growing proportionof women in the workplace,and according to the Fami-lies and Work Institute,the trend is likely to continue:twothirds of the entrants to the work force during the balanceof the decade will be women,and 75 percent of them willbecome pregnant.Forty percent of workers expect to beresponsible for their aging parents during the next five years. Given the practical advantages of family-orientedemployment,how do employers implement it?A recentsurvey of 450 employers by Buck Consultants found thatmost had written employment policies addressing workand family issues.The most common policies werematernity leave(90 percent),unpaid general leaves ofabsence(79 percent),EAPs(71 percent),flexible spend-ing accounts for dependent-care expenses(63 percent),permanent part-time work (56 percent),unpaid parental | Family-Friendly Resources
·The Family Friendly Employer:Examples from
The following are some information resources:
Europe is available for $25 from Families and
·The National Association of Child Care Resource
Work Institute,330 Seventh Ave.,New York,NY
and Referral Agencies offers information on
child-care services,(507)287-2220.
10001,(212)465-2044.
·The Child Care Action Campaign offers a report
·Work,Families and Organizations,edited by Shel-
on the child-care experiences of companies with
don Zedeck,is available from Jossey-Bass,Inc.,
fewer than 250 employees,(212)239-0138.
(415)433-1740.
·Work/Family Directions publishes a 22-page
·Solving the Work/Family Puzzle,by Bonnie
booklet that has been prep

FAQs

Why did employee assistance programs (EAPs) start, and what are they now expected to cover?

EAPs began to help employees with alcoholism, drugs, and emotional or psychological problems. They have since expanded as companies find employees’ problems are more diverse and tied to balancing family responsibilities with work needs.

How do family-related issues contribute to absenteeism and tardiness?

Higher absenteeism among female employees is linked to caregiving for young children or elderly relatives and related burdens. A sick child or babysitter problem is more likely to pull a mother away from the workplace than a father, and arrangements can fail due to caregiver turnover, inconvenience, or cost.

What family-oriented employment policies and benefits are most commonly implemented by employers?

A survey of 450 employers found the most common written policies included maternity leave, unpaid general leaves of absence, EAPs, flexible spending accounts for dependent-care expenses, permanent part-time work, and unpaid parental leave of absence, along with other supports such as family sick days and full flexible benefits.

Oct 13, 2026

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