s/o Is your employer family friendly?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think family friendly is marketing BS for the most part. Why do I say that? Cause I'm likely the person who wrote the marketing copy and applied for awards in Working Mother then stuck a big ole stock photo of "Happy Family in Grass" on the cover of the benefits brochure.

I work for big Corp HQ. I'll leave name off. All of our marketing and PR work is about family friendly, better life balance etc. but in reality the only people who get that are in the C suite. No maternity leave. People are pressured to even come back weeks before FMLA ends. Nickel and dimed like they no longer will buy paper cups for the coffee machine ...which I get "green" but they put up a note about cost savings so no more cups but for $$ you can buy coffee now at our cafe (which Corp gets a cut). Time working tracked by the minute for everyone but executives. Lots of days off that you can't really take off. Many jobs have absurd travel requirements like 70% travel when it's really not needed. (Note: I just had a baby 6 weeks earlier, was told I was up for promotion but job now needed 75% travel... Umm. I just gave birth).And the constant threat of "restructuring" which means layoff abs your job duties keep increasing because someone with a "C" in their title needs a new yacht...for their family. (See, family friendly!!)

It's just the reality of the US business scene. My coworkers in Europe and Canada have it much better. Same company. Same Job. Different culture and perks.

KPMG

[Anonymous]

I work in the IC which is very family friendly. You can be fired if you work at home - go in, put in your hours, and get out. The agencies with bosses who are not jerks also get that people have to sometimes stay home with sick kids or a broken pipe. Normal bosses who don't care if you come in at 8:00 or 9:00 as long as you out in your 8.5 hours,,or you sign up for maxi flex. Like all other fed jobs, maternity leave is what you make for yourself.

I have zero desire to telework. I want work to be work and home to be home and want to be off the clock when I'm off the clock. That's friendly to my family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think family friendly is marketing BS for the most part. Why do I say that? Cause I'm likely the person who wrote the marketing copy and applied for awards in Working Mother then stuck a big ole stock photo of "Happy Family in Grass" on the cover of the benefits brochure.

I work for big Corp HQ. I'll leave name off. All of our marketing and PR work is about family friendly, better life balance etc. but in reality the only people who get that are in the C suite. No maternity leave. People are pressured to even come back weeks before FMLA ends. Nickel and dimed like they no longer will buy paper cups for the coffee machine ...which I get "green" but they put up a note about cost savings so no more cups but for $$ you can buy coffee now at our cafe (which Corp gets a cut). Time working tracked by the minute for everyone but executives. Lots of days off that you can't really take off. Many jobs have absurd travel requirements like 70% travel when it's really not needed. (Note: I just had a baby 6 weeks earlier, was told I was up for promotion but job now needed 75% travel... Umm. I just gave birth).And the constant threat of "restructuring" which means layoff abs your job duties keep increasing because someone with a "C" in their title needs a new yacht...for their family. (See, family friendly!!)

It's just the reality of the US business scene. My coworkers in Europe and Canada have it much better. Same company. Same Job. Different culture and perks.

You are mixing reality with bogus recognition like "working mother" magazine. If there are polices in place that people actually use, there is such a thing as family-friendly or work-life balance friendly. Agree you can't tell from those awards or company web site - you really need to talk to folks who work there.

My company has very generous remote working/telecommuting policies that many people use. To me that is not marketing, that IS family friendly. Being able to WFH regularly (I usually do twice a week) is huge in cutting down commuting time and allowing me to manage my own schedule (I love having the relaxed mornings with my kids and squeezing in a late morning workout on those days).

My company sends out an email before Christmas asking people to please refrain from sending any emails that aren't absolutely necessary for a five day period. We get lots of PTO, and generous maternity leave.

Of course, there are people who work really hard, travel a ton, etc., but those people are either at the top, making a ridiculous amount of money, or are on their way to the top, making great money on their way to ridiculous amounts. I'm sure there are people with bad bosses who would totally disagree, but the company really is trying to send a top down message that in order to retain top talent, they want to avoid burn out and have people leaving because they think another place has better options. No company is perfect but I do think there are companies/CEOs/upper management that really see the value in this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll start

Fed here -- so flexible hours, option to telework, and fairly easy to accrue sick/annual leave

But, no maternity/paternity leave, so must take LWOP or use accrued leave.

same. and when the fed closes, I have to telework when there's no childcare open or use my vacation days. and I am berated for not being a higher producer like single people who work extra hours mornings, nights and weekends.

[Anonymous]

No. I got 6 weeks "maternity leave" but it was unpaid (I used sick time, so mine wasn't, but mostly don't have that much). No FMLA because we're a remote site with only 40 employees and HR said the other local remote sites that pushed us over 50 employees didn't count.

My manager called me when my baby was three days old asking me to log in and check my email. He then didn't understand why I didn't want to travel overseas for two weeks at 8 weeks postpartum (hello, breastfeeding is barely established).

I'm not sure why telework is even mentioned with regard to family friendly, because we still have to have childcare. It's really not related.

[Anonymous]

I work for a federal contractor (Bowhead) and my department is VERY family friendly -- flex hours, work from home when necessary, no nursing facilities but they gave me an office with a lockable door and I have seen them do the same for other nursing mothers. I will work here until I retire, as long as the atmosphere remains this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would consider my job pretty family friendly in many ways but not great in others.

I work for a local school system 12 months (not a teacher). I get four weeks vacation plus winter and spring breaks, two weeks of sick leave, and three personal days. I can use that leave pretty much whenever I want and it carries over. I have good health benefits and will have a pension when I retire. I have fixed hours but am home by the same time almost every day (there is a lot of predictability to my schedule). I never have to travel for work. I have my own "rules" - I don't take work home, for example.

What is your position?