For working parents, workplace flexibility is key. Here are some companies that have family-friendly policies.
The Internet is ablaze over the news that new Yahoo! CEO Marissa Meyer has banned employees from working from home. For many workers—especially parents of young children, or people caring for elderly relatives—a ban on workplace flexibility can be a major setback that hurts their home life, and in turn, may negatively affect their workplace performance.
My husband Jeff and I are thankful for the ability to work from home and plan a schedule that allows us to spend lots of time together and with our three-year-old daughter. We appreciate companies, large and small, that recognize that employees need the time and space to put their families first, and are trusting enough to allow them to perform their jobs in the manner that suits them best.
Chances are, you probably don’t work at Yahoo!, but there are thousands of other companies out there with the same tough demands on your time. If you’re looking to make the shift to a more flexible lifestyle, but not quite ready to start your own company, here are some great career prospects for you.
Automattic
As the makers of the popular WordPress platform, Automattic is the company behind many of your favorite blogs. Automattic values great employees no matter where they’re based, and has staff everywhere from Australia to Iceland. As long as you’ve got a good Internet connection and the right experience, you’re a perfect candidate for a job here. Being a tech company, there are plenty of opportunities for developers and engineers, but other opportunities are available too—check out the listings.
Deloitte
Deloitte is a large accounting firm with more than 45,000 employees—but they’re based just about everywhere. More than 80 percent of the company’s employees telecommute on a regular basis, and Deloitte values letting employees focus on their passions so much that it offers a paid sabbatical program that allows employees to spend up to 6 months at a nonprofit while still earning 40 percent of their salary. Find jobs here.
Netflix
Most of the streaming video and DVD company’s jobs are based at Netflix’s offices near Los Angeles or San Francisco, but Netflix is well-known for offering workplace flexibility. The company has an unlimited vacation policy: You can take as much time out of the office as you like, just as long as the work gets done. Find out about Netflix’ jobs here.
S.C. Johnston
S.C. Johnston, the company behind household brands like Ziploc, Saran Wrap, and Pledge, refers to itself as a family company. As such, it focuses on ensuring that its employee policies are family-friendly, too: The company allows telecommuting and flexible work times, and even has an on-site daycare facility, so you can stop in and see your child as often as you like while you’re working. Find out about career options here.
Best Buy
True, if you’re a salesperson you probably can’t do your job from home. But for employees at the Richmond, Minnesota corporate headquarters of this electronics retailer, a ROWE (results-only work environment) workplace is the norm. That means they can come in as often or as infrequently as they want—as long as their work gets done, how it’s performed doesn’t matter. The company shifted to this model more than a decade ago, and has seen productivity increase by more than 40 percent. Find corporate campus jobs here.
What other family-friendly employers have we missed? Share your tips in the comments.