Figuring out the return on investment for a business that is family friendly is a tricky issue.   Why does early childhood development factor into a business model at all?

The recent 15 by 15 study conducted by the Human Early Learning Partnership, notes that “[ECD] is a critical issue for business leaders, because the years before age six set in motion factors that will determine the quality of the future labour force.”

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce policy resolution on Increasing Canada’s Productivity Through Early Childhood Development points to the fact that Canada is losing our global competitive edge because it’s labour force is suffering and making targeted investments in early childhood is part of the solution to these productivity issues.

Productive employees are important to the economic success of businesses.   Family friendly businesses are desirable places to work and do business with, giving them a competitive edge.  They will attract and retain the best and the brightest. 
Family friendly practices may include:

• Offering flexible work schedules allowing employees  to mange their work-life challenges
• Providing training to staff who deal with customers with young children
• Welcoming children and families into our workplaces.

Consider the following facts:

Fact: Most families today have two working parents to help ease financial pressures.  Many employees have young children and flexible workplaces are important to allowing them to maintain a work-life balance, which is turn results in a more productive employee.

Fact: Your business relies heavily on your employees to give it a competitive edge.   Fewer sick days, employees that are more productive and focused as less time is spent on child care issues, higher retention rates and less time spent training new staff – these are among the direct benefits that businesses accrue by implementing family friendly policies.

Fact: Healthy children lead to healthy communities.  Families with good support systems in place are able to provide young children the support needed for healthy development while remaining productive as employees.

Fact: Today’s children are tomorrow’s workers.  Investments in practices that are supportive of the early years will set children up for success later in life.

Businesses that invest in family friendly practices make a positive impact on early childhood development which in turn leads to economic and social benefits for the whole community.  To help inform businesses about the importance of being family friendly, Success By 6 will be launching a Family Friendly initiative in the Spring of 2010.   Watch for details in the months ahead.

Being Family Friendly – the real question is can your business afford not to be?

For additional reading on family friendly workplaces, see “The Use of Family Friendly
Workplaces in Canada”, Ana Ferrer & Lynda Gagné, September 2006, Institute for research on public policy, IRPP Working Paper Series no. 2006-02

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