Family-friendly workplaces
Re-designing the workplace to be family-friendly.
Working conditions of parents and caregivers are inextricably linked to the health, development and well-being of their children. Inclusive family-friendly policies (FFP) offer the time, resources and services that parents and caregivers need to balance work and family life. As evidence shows, these policies are important for child development, gender equality and sustainable economic growth. At their best, these policies contribute to the resilience of families, communities and societies, and promote inclusion and gender equality, with children having the most to gain.
Since July 2019, when UNICEF published new evidence and recommended four sets of policies to ‘redesign the future of the workplace’, momentum on FFP has grown considerably. Accelerated by the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of governments and businesses are responding to the needs of working parents and families; for example, by strengthening employment and income protection; implementing paid parental, sick and family leave; offering flexible work arrangements; and investing in breastfeeding and nutrition support, as well as access to quality and affordable childcare.
Family-friendly policies contribute to healthier, better-educated children, greater gender equality and sustainable growth. They are also linked to better workforce productivity and the ability to attract, motivate and retain employees.
Despite the demonstrable benefits of these policies for children, families, businesses and economies at large, the vast majority of working parents and caregivers remain with minimal or no access to family-friendly policies and support for unpaid care work. It is estimated that around 649 million women workers do not have adequate FFP support. The reach of existing family-friendly policies and the eligibility conditions under which these policies are provided remain significant challenges, particularly with respect to workers in the informal sector.
To be truly impactful, businesses and governments must work together at every level to ensure family-friendly policies are meaningfully implemented across all family and workplace realities and for caregivers of all kinds.
