Resources

We understand the importance of fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment for employees. That’s why we offer a range of resources to assist you in conducting employee surveys and effectively advertising your company policies.

Our team is here to support you in gathering valuable feedback from your workforce and making data-driven decisions to improve employee satisfaction and engagement. Additionally, we provide guidance and tools to help you effectively communicate your company policies, ensuring that your employees are well-informed and can navigate the workplace with confidence.

Let’s work together to create a workplace that values its employees and promotes a culture of transparency and respect.

Why be a Family Forward employer?
Implementing family forward policies is not just a compassionate choice, it is a strategic business decision.

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Employer Resources:

Montana Data

  • DLI Report “Impacts of Child Care on the Montana Workforce”
A child care worker plays blocks with a couple young girls

Sample Policies

At Family Forward Montana, we understand that innovation comes in many forms. While we provide a list of sample policies and practices below, we recognize that these examples are not all-encompassing. We are eager to learn about the unique and creative family-forward policies your company may already have in place or may be considering. If your organization currently has limited or no family-focused policies, don’t worry! We are here to assist and guide you in developing and implementing effective strategies that benefit both your workforce and your business. Let’s collaborate to make your workplace truly family-friendly. Join us in shaping a supportive environment where every employee thrives.   

Heath Benefits and Flexible Spending Accounts

Policy: Provide comprehensive health insurance plans that cover employees and their dependents, including medical, dental, and vision care. Implement wellness programs offering services like mental health counseling, fitness memberships, and preventive care. 

Procedures: 

  • Offer group health insurance covering medical, dental, and vision care. 
  • Include mental health services and Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). 
  • Provide wellness incentives (e.g., gym memberships, health screenings). 
  • Communicate benefits clearly during onboarding and open enrollment. 

Compliance: Align with ACA and HIPAA regulations. Montana does not mandate employer health insurance but encourages voluntary offerings. 

Best Practices: Organizations like XXX Health System (in Montana) have been recognized for providing access to health insurance and wellness programs, contributing to a family-friendly workplace.  

Policy: Offer FSAs to allow employees to set aside pre-tax dollars for eligible healthcare and dependent care expenses, reducing taxable income and out-of-pocket costs.​ 

Procedures: 

  • Set up an FSA through a qualified third-party administrator. 
  • Educate employees on enrollment periods and eligible expenses. 
  • Facilitate automatic payroll deductions. 

Compliance: Follows IRS Section 125 guidelines. 

Best Practices: Implementing FSAs supports employees in managing healthcare and dependent care expenses, aligning with family-friendly workplace standards. ​Best Place for Working Parents® 

Policy: Provide a DCAP that allows employees to use pre-tax dollars for qualifying dependent care expenses, such as daycare or after-school programs.​ 

Procedures: 

  • Offer up to $5,000 in pre-tax benefits per employee. 
  • Coordinate with FSA administrator for dependent care components. 
  • Provide annual statements of benefits used. 

Compliance: Governed by IRS and Section 129 tax code. 

Best Practices: Offering DCAPs demonstrates a commitment to supporting employees with caregiving responsibilities. ​ 

Offering counseling and referral services to help employees navigate personal challenges, mental health issues, or other life events affecting their well-being.

Child Care

Providing child care services on or near the premises of the workplace, making it easier for employees to access quality care for their children.

Policy: Partner with local childcare providers to reserve spaces specifically for employees’ children, ensuring reliable access to quality childcare.​ 

Procedures: 

  • Establish a Memorandum of Understanding with licensed childcare centers. 
  • Subsidize or fully fund reserved slots. 
  • Allow employees to apply during enrollment windows. 

Compliance: Ensure ADA accessibility and licensing standards of childcare partners. 

Best Practices: Providing reserved childcare spaces can reduce employee absenteeism and turnover. ​Best Place for Working Parents® 

Establishing arrangements for temporary child care in case of emergencies or unexpected disruptions.

Offering various types of assistance or support to local child care providers to help them deliver high-quality services.

Participating in shared resources and services for child care providers to enhance their effectiveness and efficiency.

Assisting employees in finding and accessing reliable, high-quality child care options.

Policy: Offer tuition assistance or subsidies to employees to offset the cost of child care, making quality care more accessible. Employers may offer child care tuition benefits to employees, sharing the cost of care with employees, often using a sliding scale model.  

Procedures: 

  • Set parameters where employees can use tuition benefits (e.g. child care tuition discounts offered for families enrolling in licensed, high-quality care programs) 
  • Reimburse up to a designated amount monthly or annually. 
  • Require proof of licensed child care provider (or partner with a list of providers). 
  • Include taxable or tax-free benefits per IRS guidelines. 

Compliance: Comply with IRS regulations on childcare reimbursements. Employers can provide tax-free childcare assistance up to federally allowed limits.​  

Best Practices: Offering a discount for high-quality child care is an accessible way to support employees. Financial assistance for employees is crucial in providing high quality child care for their children.  

Investing in a shared fund to support child care infrastructure costs such as increasing community-wide child care capacity (like creating a new child care program), expanding shared services that increase provider sustainability, and investing in early care and education workforce programs/services, etc.

Flexible Work and Scheduling

Allowing employees to work remotely or from home as needed or long term, providing flexibility to balance work and family responsibilities.

Allowing employees to have some control over their work schedule, accommodating their personal and family needs.

Policy: Implement flexible work arrangements, including flexible start and end times, compressed workweeks, and remote work options, to accommodate employees’ personal needs and family responsibilities. 

Procedures: 

  • Allow adjusted start/end times, compressed weeks, and telecommuting. 
  • Approve arrangements through Human Resources and department heads. 
  • Review arrangements quarterly for performance alignment. 
  • Establish clear policies outlining flexible working options. 

Compliance: Document employee schedules to ensure FLSA compliance. 

Best Practices: Flexible scheduling is a key component of family-friendly workplace policies, enhancing work-life balance. ​ 

Policy: Allow employees to share job responsibilities or work part-time schedules, providing opportunities for those needing reduced hours and flexibility while maintaining productivity.​ 

Procedures: 

  • Allow two employees to split one full-time equivalent (FTE) position. 
  • Define responsibilities and evaluation metrics. 
  • Provide prorated benefits for part-time employees. 

Compliance: Ensure equal opportunity and non-discrimination policies apply both at the federal and state level. 

Best Practices: Job sharing and part-time work options support employees in balancing work and family commitments. ​ 

Providing employees with advanced notice of their work schedules, allowing for better planning and stability in their personal lives.

Paid Leave and Packages

Policy: Provide paid parental leave to employees for the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child, allowing time to bond and adjust to new family dynamics.​  

Procedures: 

  • Provide a minimum of 6–12 weeks paid parental leave. 
  • Coordinate with Family Medical Leave (FMLA) where applicable. 
  • Require 30-day advance notice when foreseeable. 

Compliance: Employers with 50+ employees must comply with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), offering eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave; Montana law encourages but does not mandate paid leave.   

Best Practices: Offering paid parental leave can reduce turnover and improve employee morale. ​Best Place for Working Parents® 

Child Trends Guide to Evaluating Paid Family & Medical Leave Policies

Policy: Provide paid leave for personal illness, to care for sick family members, or to address safety concerns (e.g., domestic violence).   

Procedures: 

  • Accrue one hour of leave per 30 hours worked. 
  • Allow usage after 90 days of employment. 
  • Permit up to 40 hours rollover annually. 

Compliance: Not mandated in Montana.  This type of policy aligns with national best practices. 

Best Practices: Providing sick and safe leave aligns with family-friendly practices, supporting employee health and safety. ​NM Family Friendly Business 

Job-protected leave that allows employees to take time off to care for their own serious health condition, a family member’s serious health condition, or for the birth or adoption of a child.

Policy: Allow employees to take paid or unpaid leave to attend their children’s educational activities, such as parent-teacher conferences, school events, or volunteering in their child’s classroom.​ 

Procedures: 

  • Offer up to 8 hours paid leave per school year. 
  • Require reasonable advance notice. 
  • Do not penalize leave use in performance evaluations. 

Compliance: Voluntary policy encouraged to enhance family engagement. 

Best Practices: Facilitating parental involvement in children’s education demonstrates a commitment to family-friendly values.  

Ensuring that wages are sufficient to support the needs of an employee’s family and maintain a decent standard of living.

Accommodations and Support

Policy: Permit parents to bring their infants (typically up to 6 months or until crawling) to work, when feasible and safe. 

Procedures: 

  • Develop a written agreement with the employee, supervisor, and HR. 
  • Identify appropriate work environments (e.g., private offices, designated quiet areas). 
  • Outline guidelines for work performance and infant care. 
  • Provide training on safety and expectations for participating staff. 
  • Designate backup caregivers for meetings or emergencies. 

Compliance: Adhere to OSHA safety standards and ensure workplace liability coverage is in place. Participation is voluntary and subject to manager approval. 

Best Practices: Providing an option for employees to bring their child to work can change the future of what careers and recruiting looks like for a business. the realistic needs of a parent during that one (1) -year period and where a Babies at Work policy can be a temporary, but extremely important benefit for an employee. 

Policy: Provide a supportive environment for breastfeeding mothers, including private spaces and flexible break time. 

Procedures: 

  • Designate clean, private, non-bathroom spaces for expressing milk. 
  • Allow reasonable unpaid break time (or paid if part of standard break policy). 
  • Provide access to refrigeration for milk storage. 
  • Train managers on supporting lactating employees without discrimination. 
  • Communicate policy during orientation and prior to maternity leave. 

Compliance: Comply with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Montana law, which encourages breastfeeding accommodations in the workplace. 

Best Practices: A comprehensive lactation program benefits may benefit employers with reduce absenteeism, improving productivity, employee satisfaction, ad retention.   Promoting Worker Well-Being through Maternal and Child Health: Breastfeeding Accommodations in the Workplace | Blogs | CDC 

Policy:   A good pregnancy accommodation policy benefits employers as well as employees. It encourages healthy pregnancies which leads to fewer absences and improves employee loyalty and engagement.  

Procedures: 

  • Policy clearly spells out rights and duties 
  • Train supervisors on the policy. 
  • Designate clean, private, non-bathroom spaces for expressing milk. (Refer to Support for Breast Feeding Mothers policy) 

Compliance: Employers now have obligations under many federal laws – the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the PUMP Act 

 

Organizational support, often in the form of paid leave or sponsorship, for employees pursuing volunteer opportunities or performing community services which could potentially be within a child care program.

An employer may award one or more scholarships a year, on a merit or need basis, to the children of employees, or may actually pay or lend some amount of tuition for each employee’s child who attends college.

An employer may give a first-time home buyer employee an interest free loan to put towards a down payment.