Family Friendly Practices

In today's bottom-line conscious business world, the idea of family-friendly employee practices might seem almost laughable. After all, these policies only cost money, and they don't increase revenues, right? That thinking couldn't be more wrong.

Family-friendly practices are a tool, a very powerful tool. They are a tool to attract the best new employees, to retain current employees and to demonstrate loyalty to hard-working employees. They are a tool to demonstrate an employer's positive social values. They are a tool to create a supportive work environment, which in turn leads to happier and more productive workers.

Looking ahead to the near future, these policies will be key to they next generation of workers, the ones who will replace the retiring baby boomers. To attract the best of this new breed of employee, employers will have to offer more than just attractive salaries. This new generation will see work differently, without the unflinching sense of loyalty that marked their predecessors. They will demand balance between the personal and professional spheres, between their employer's needs and their own.

There are many ways in which an employer can change practices and policies to create a family-friendly workplace. The most important is through policies that give employees the ability to balance work and life. Flextime can be instrumental, allowing workers to rearrange their schedule as needed, freeing them to take time off for family obligations without penalty or stigma. Working from home can also be an option, made easy through today's advanced computer networking capabilities.

Employers can also connect with their employee's families, possibly even sowing the seeds for a future generation of star employees. Scholarship programs, contests and summer employment opportunities for the children of employees are all effective ways of reaching out to families, strengthening the bond between work and life.

Even small events can be made family-friendly. Family picnics or barbeques can augment staff bar nights, while the office Christmas party can be expanded to become a family event. In larger organizations, on-site daycare or subsidized childcare can alleviate one of the key distractions that parents of young children face, giving them the peace of mind to focus on their job, and excel.

These policies, in many different combinations, can help to reduce employee turnover. Turnover can be costly, with time and resources lost on departing employees, and in searching out, hiring and training replacements. Simple gestures such as family-friendly practices can reduce turnover and increase employee satisfaction and productivity. Bottom line, the companies that will benefit in the short term, and reap great rewards in the long term are the ones that are willing to change.

Children control nearly $100 billion dollars of disposable income each year, between what they themselves spend, and what is spent on them. $100,000,000,000. It's a tremendous amount of money, and it's out there, available to the entrepreneur who can attract parents and children, give them the merchandise and service they need, and do it in a better way than anyone else.

There are many reasons for businesses to adopt family-friendly practices for their customers, but ultimately, it comes down one: attracting a greater share of the market place. Families need to shop and to eat. As such, stores, shopping centres and restaurants stand to be benefit most. By creating an atmosphere where families and children feel welcome and accepted, it encourages them to visit, to spend and to return again, increasing sales.

Also, it's not just parents who are buying for children: it's grandparents, aunts, uncles, birthday party guests and many others. If a child or parent likes what your store offers, they will recommend it to others, which will, again, increase sales.

Finally, children are able to identify quite early what they like and don't like. Parents go where their children want to go. If your business is one of the places they like, it will stay with them as they grow, and when they are able to make decisions for themselves, the odds are even better they will choose your business to spend their money. Once again, this increases sales.

Perhaps the most important thing a business can do is to respect the child as a valued customer. Today, it might be mom or dad's money that is being spent, but in the future, these former children will be spending their own money, and eventually, spending it on their children as well.

The ways in which businesses can become more family-friendly for their customers are as varied and diverse as the businesses themselves.

Making the location family- and child-friendly is first and foremost. Families prefer to shop in locations that are accessible and accommodating. For shopping centres and retailers, this can include conveniently located family washrooms with change tables and child-sized fixtures, free or rented strollers, special events and activities for children, and a host of other possibilities. Even something as simple as child-sized chairs or stroller parking near change rooms can be significant. One of the most promising trends in recent years has been the creation of courtesy parking spaces for expectant mothers, and parents of young children.

Restaurants can offer children's menus with healthy options, activities, prizes, play areas, high chairs and booster seats, and family washroom with change tables. For years, fast food restaurant managers have offered tours to young children, letting them see how all the different parts of the meal are prepared. To a five year old, this is fascinating stuff! Plus, it gives them a primitive understanding of how many people and how much effort it takes to make a simple cheeseburger.

But it's not just businesses selling to children and families that can benefit. Mothers and fathers, when shopping for themselves, often have their children in tow. A store, be it a hardware store, a high fashion retailer or any other traditionally non-family store, can put into place practices that make it more hospitable to children. Grocery stores, where children are often a screaming, running nuisance, have added "shopper in training" carts, giving kids an active role in the experience. Play areas can be set up in clothing stores, occupying the active imaginations of children. Able to focus on the task at hand, parents certainly appreciate these changes.

Only imagination and effort limit the possibilities for family-friendly policies in business, retail and restaurants. One thing is for certain, the companies who find the best practices will be the ones that engender the support of the children of today, the same children who will become the employees, customers and families of tomorrow.