Family Friendly Workplace

Finding a family friendly workplace is a top priority for many men and women today. Employers are beginning to realize that in order to attract and retain employees, offering a family friendly environment can help their bottom line. 

What helps determine a family friendly workplace? Employers who understand the challenges men and women face in today's hectic world are now offering some of the following: 

• On-site child care (low or no-cost)
• Cafeteria plans for tax savings benefits to employees
• Child and eldercare services
• Health and wellness plan, e.g., discount for health club membership
• Flexible work arrangements, e.g., telecommuting, flex time, job sharing, compressed work week, part-time work
• Health insurance coverage for dependents
• Paid maternity and paternity leave
• Employee assistance program

How does your employer stack up? If you're in a job search or when you're ready to make a move, check out Fortune magazine's annual review of the top 100 best companies. For this year's top picks, read the next story. 

Top 100 Best Companies in America

Each year Fortune magazine publishes the top 100 best companies to work for in America. This year, and for the second year in a row, topping the list is Google based in Mountain View, California. So what makes Google such a great company to work for?

"Google serves free gourmet foods at all hours..., provides transportation support to get to and from work, childcare and eldercare resources, on-site medical staff, exercise facilities, Google toys, interesting guest speakers and entertainers, and more," according to the Great Place to Work Institute. Google has created a culture which employees find very appealing. Managers are seen as credible, employees are treated with respect and workplace policies and practices are implemented fairly.

Every day Google receives over 1300 resumes. I guess it's no secret that it's a great company to work for. To learn more, click here.  

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Client Comments on Résumé Critique

Q & A

Q. My wife is having a baby soon.  I would like to take a month or two off after the baby arrives.  Would I be covered under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)? 

A. The quick answer to this question is the standard lawyer’s answer to many questions - it depends.  The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides eligible employees of covered employers with the ability to take up to twelve weeks of unpaid job-protected leave under certain circumstances.  So, whether you are able to take FMLA leave when your child arrives depends on: 1) whether your employer is covered by the FMLA; 2) whether you are an eligible employee under the FMLA; and 3) whether the birth of a child is one of the circumstances which qualify you for leave under the FMLA. 

Let’s look first at covered employers.  Only those employers with 50 or more employees within a 75 mile radius must comply with the FMLA.  So, for example, a company which has five employees in twelve states has enough employees to be covered, but since the employees are not within the 75 mile radius, that employer need not offer leave under the FMLA.  Under a more typical situation, where everyone works from one location, the 50 employee threshold is the only requirement for your employer to be a covered employer for purposes of the FMLA. 

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Quote

"The only safe ship in a storm is leadership."

                                                            -Faye Wattleton