At Women's Foundation we work to identify barriers that hold women back and find solutions that improve the lives of all women and their families. Our research on the Status of Missouri Women, revealed an unfortunate truth - many women don't have adequate support to be successful in the workplace and it impacts their lives in profound ways. What happens when businesses don't provide family-friendly policies such as paid parental leave and affordable childcare?
- Increased parental stress: unsupportive work environments put the pressure of being a productive worker AND a good parent solely on the shoulders of working parents
- Possible damage to the development of young children: increased parental stress levels can result in unhappy family environments
- Decreased opportunities for women: women are held back in the workplace because they are not empowered to be their most focused and productive
The good news is that family-friendly workplace policies aren't just good for working parents, or employees taking care of aging family members, they're good for businesses, too -- and we're hoping that raising awareness can lead to improvements for women and their families. That's why we've paired with Mayor James and the Society for Human Resource Management of Greater Kansas City to bring When Work Works to Kansas City.
When Work Works will advance innovative, family-friendly policies that will put Kansas City on the map as one of the best working communities in the nation. Soon Kansas City business will be invited to join enrollment for When Work Works where they can receive assessments, benchmarks and comparisons to other local businesses to compete for how well their family-friendly workplace policies stack-up.
Today, I challenge you to look closely at the workplace policies at your place of employment. Are you being supported? If you are an employer, are you supporting those that you employ? Once we start focusing more on family-friendly workplace policies in Kansas City, women will feel supported by their employer and that will allow them to be more focused, empowered and productive. When women know they can take time off to be with their sick children, or that their kids are in the hands of safe, quality care-givers- economic productivity flourishes!
What is good for women, is good for our families and our economy. When Work Works will make Kansas City an attractive place for those looking to move their families and those looking to move their business, to a city that provides the resources for success. Learn more here.