More and more local businesses are making their workplaces family-friendly.
The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce launched the 'Family-Friendly Workplace' program in 2021. The Chamber describes the program as a practical guide to help businesses support working families, and it's been growing across San Luis Obispo County.
"We hope that what we are doing is creating some social norm change," said Christina Lefevre Latner, SLO Chamber of Commerce Workplace Development Manager. “Just making it more normal for businesses to really understand that all their employees have lives outside of business and how they can help support that.”
Latner says the program is not just for working parents.
"It's also for people with family members with disabilities or people, like myself, who was part of that sandwich generation and who had small children, but also an aging parent that I was taking care of,” said Latner.
In about two years, the program has seen more than a 200% increase in the number of awards given out to companies successfully implementing policies in the following categories:
CATEGORY ONE: Employer-Sponsored Child Care
- On-Site or Near-Site Child Care
- Vouchers, Discounts, Sponsored Slots
- Subsidies, Stipends, and/or Reimbursements
- Child Care Benefits Plans and Tax Strategies
- Backup and Emergency Care
- Infants-at-Work
CATEGORY TWO: Flexible Work & Scheduling
- Flexible Scheduling Practices
- Location Flexibility
- Predictable & Stable Scheduling
CATEGORY THREE: Paid & Unpaid Leave
- Paid Family Leave
- Personal Leave
- Vacation Leave
- Pregnancy Leave
- Medical Leave
CATEGORY FOUR: Health Benefits & Flexible Spending
- Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- Flexible Spending
- Fertility Benefits
- Disability
- Workplace Wellness Programs
CATEGORY FIVE: Parent Accommodations & Support
- Lactation Accommodations
- Training Opportunities
- Support Groups
- Employee Assistance Programs
“It doesn't matter what size you are or what industry you are in," Latner said. "There is something that's going to work with everyone."
Tolosa Winery has been recognized twice in the past few years for its family-friendly efforts.
“It's all about the culture and it's all about, you know, empathetic conversations and understanding from our leadership staff with our employees,” said Tolosa Winery CEO Josh Baker.
Baker says he’s been working for more than a decade on investing in his employees who, in turn, invest themselves more into the company.
“Flexibility is really what it comes down to," Baker said. "We really try to promote this idea of employees never having to feel like they need to worry about job security when it comes to fulfilling their family responsibilities.”
Baker says fostering a family-friendly workplace keeps morale and productivity up and also helps with retention.
“If you're in a position where you're forcing your employees to choose between work and family, that's a dangerous place to be,” Baker said. “As much as we want to make great wine and provide great experiences, we also want to make great people, and great people become great parents and great partners, and quite frankly, we need more of those.”
