A recent study asked working parents about the family benefits most important to them. It’s no surprise that more parental leave came in at #1 out of 15. But #6 surprised us — easy-to-understand benefits. You’ve likely invested a lot of time negotiating great benefits, so spend some time creating a guide specifically to help employees who are building, growing, and caring for their families. We have an example to show you.
Ready to download the example before you read more about what’s in it? Jump to the download form here.
Why Promote Family Benefits on Their Own?
In a nutshell…because these benefits are deal makers (and breakers) for employees. And, even if your company isn’t offering popular third-party family-building benefits, you probably are offering benefits that are helpful to families. And they may not fully understand what’s available to them.
Just How Important Are Family Benefits?
This survey of 2,000 employees is chock full of interesting data, but these two stats clearly answer this particular question:
- 94% say family benefits are important to them (74% say extremely important).
- 73% would switch companies for better family benefits.
Sure, medical coverage is a very important benefit to new parents — to new moms, new babies, adopted children, etc. But you probably offer helpful benefits to all your employees, not just those in a medical plan.
Highlight lesser-known medical plan coverage. Think about more than covering a woman’s hospital stay for a birth. Mention it, of course, but dive deeper…perhaps you offer:
- A dedicated maternal support program
- High-risk pregnancy support
- Pelvic health programs
- Fertility support and infertility treatment
- Lactation consulting
- Longer-term therapy for mental health issues
- For parents
- For children, teens and young adults
- ABA therapy for children on the autism spectrum
Clarify how much leave is available. There’s paid and unpaid leave. Maternity, parental, and FMLA leave. It’s confusing to employees. Here’s what’s important to tell them:
- Paid leave — how long, how much, and who’s eligible…along with how to file a claim if needed.
- Maternity leave — yes, it’s part of paid leave, but it warrants extra space to explain short-term disability. Tell moms how long, how much, and how they’ll be paid. Remember that certain states require employees to apply for disability.
- Unpaid leave — explain how FMLA works, including eligibility, and how to file a claim. Remind them they must continue to make contributions to maintain benefits.
Tap into your EAP. People often think of the EAP only as a source for counseling. That’s important, of course, but remind parents of other helpful services:
- Mindfulness or self-care apps or programs
- Pre-vetted child care referrals, and sometimes discounts
- Resources to find pet care, housekeepers, etc.
- Financial resources and counseling (college accounts, loans, mortgages, etc.)
- Legal resources and assistance (wills, trusts, adoption, etc.)
Help parents save money. For many new parents, every dollar counts:
- Dependent care FSA
- Employee discount program
- Free online fitness courses or gym discounts
Don’t forget any extras. If you offer any of these services or programs, let people know:
- Coverage or assistance for adoption, surrogacy, or donor tissue
- Dedicated breastfeeding locations
- Breast milk shipping for moms on travel
- Health advocacy services
- Back-up child care or elder care
Ready to See an Example?
Many companies are touting their family-friendly benefits in New Parent Guides or Family-Forming Guides. Download the example below to see a generic version of how we helped one company, but hopefully hundreds of families.
