Ahead of the Curve: Why America's Leading Employers Are Addressing the Needs of New and Expectant Parents

• Main Author: Shore, Rima
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Families and Work Institute 1998
• Subjects: Brain; Brain Development; Case Studies; Employed Parents; Employee Assistance Programs; Family Needs; Family Work Relationship; Fringe Benefits; Health Insurance; Parent Needs; Personnel Policy; Work Environment
• ISBN: 9781888324259; 1888324252

Increasing numbers of employed parents of young children, increasing work-family conflict experienced by these parents, and the importance of early experience for children's brain development combine to suggest opportunities for business organizations to improve their competitiveness and compassion. This report draws upon data from the National Study of the Changing Workforce and the Business Work-Life Study and other research and incorporates numerous case studies to document the current work-family relationship and to illustrate how the business community has responded. The report describes challenges faced by today's families, including severe time shortage following the birth of children, increasing time and energy demands of current jobs, and lack of work security and predictability. Important business trends that strengthen the case for family-responsive policies and practices are also discussed. Next, the report documents the overall decline in the well-being of young children related to poor child care arrangements, summarizes research on brain development, and notes the importance of early experience. The report then describes several solutions and presents several case studies illustrating methods of meeting the needs of working parents and their young children, including helping employees prepare for parenthood, providing family health insurance coverage, helping new parent thrive, providing time for parenting, and assisting in the child care dilemma. The report concludes by identifying lessons that can be learned from the research results and the case studies, and indicates that inequitable or unfair benefits cannot advance employers' goals, and that urgent challenges remain for business. (KB)