Employer Options

Family-Friendly Employer Options

Employee Assistance Programs
Providing employees with support for issues that affect their well-being can lead to increased productivity and engagement. An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a voluntary, work-based program that offers free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services to employees who have personal and/or work-related problems. Learn more here.
Flextime
Multiple surveys show that workers would leave a job for one that offers a flexible schedule. Offering flexible schedules can be a recruitment and retention tool for employers.
Flexible Spending Accounts
A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) is a special account where employees can set-aside up to $3,200 annually in pre-tax dollars to reimburse for health related expenses. Employers benefit from the savings associated with not being required to pay FICA or FUTA on pre-tax dollars. Learn more here.
Predictable Scheduling
A May 2021 Bipartisan Policy Center survey of parents with children under age 6 found that 29% of parents had 2 weeks or less advance notice of their work schedule. When parents have sufficient notice or a set schedule, it makes balancing work and family easier, including scheduling child care for times when they need it.
Dependent Care Assistance Plans
Dependent Care Assistance Plans (DCAPs) enable employees to put aside up to $5,000 annually in pre-tax dollars to be used to reimburse child care expenses. Employers benefit from the savings associated with not being required to pay FICA or FUTA on pre-tax dollars. Learn more here.
Working Remotely (Telecommuting)
The U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey conducted between August 20 - September 16, 2024 found that 28.4% of New York parents with children under age 18 are working either entirely remotely or in some type of hybrid manner. Gallup polling shows that highly engaged workplaces claim 41% lower absenteeism and 21% higher profitability. This is not a recommended option for parents with infants and toddlers.

New York Paid Family Leave

Since 2018, New York’s Paid Family Leave law requires employers to offer up to 12-weeks of job-protected, paid time off to bond with a newly born, adopted, or fostered child, care for a family member with a serious health condition, or assist loved ones when a family member is deployed abroad on active military service. Employees pay for these benefits through a small payroll deduction, which is a percentage of their wages up to a cap set annually. Learn more here.