What Is Family-Friendliness at Work?
Family-friendliness enables combining work and family life smoothly and efficiently. Work-life-balance concerns people in different life situations and different life stages. Family-friendliness should be pursued and cherished because it benefits everyone.
A family-friendly workplace supports the well-being of both individuals and families. According to studies it also increases work motivation and work satisfaction.
Laws and collective agreements alone are not enough to guarantee family-friendly workplace culture. More detailed instructions and specific rules are often needed at the workplace.
Family-friendliness is both attitudes and practices. Alongside instructions and individual solutions there is a need for balance and fairness in the treatment of all personnel. Even small acts and gestures of family-friendliness can make a difference for the better.
Sections of family-friendliness are:
- Values and Attitudes
- Flexibility of Working Time and Place
- Family Leaves and Lifespan
- Rules and Guidelines
- Experiences of Leader’s (Management) Behaviour
- Leaders’s (Supervisors’) opinion
- Experience of Work – Life Balance and the Employer’s Family-Friendliness