This is a legacy version of the WELL Building Standard. Please check the latest version here.

Workplace family support

Work-life balance can often be overlooked and employees' personal lives can lose priority to their work responsibilities. Policies regarding family care ensure that workers are able to take the necessary time off for self-care, while having the peace of mind that their loved ones are receiving proper care as well.

This feature provides support to improve work-life balance.

Part 1: Parental Leave

Employers provide the following:

a) Paid parental leave for 6 weeks for each parent.
b) An additional 12 weeks of unpaid parental leave.
Part 2: Employer Supported Child Care

Employers provide at least one of the following:

a) On-site child care centers compliant with local child care licensure.
b) Subsidies or vouchers for child care.
Part 3: Family Support

Employers provide the following:

a) At least 12 weeks of unpaid leave for the care of a seriously ill child, spouse, domestic partner, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild or sibling.
b) The option to use paid sick time for the care of a child, spouse, domestic partner, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild or sibling.
c) All nursing mothers with break times of at least 15 minutes, every 3 hours.
Endocrine
Immune
Digestive
Respiratory

Applicability Matrix

Core & Shell New Construction WELL Interiors
Part 1: Parental Leave - O O
Part 2: Employer Supported Child Care - O O
Part 3: Family Support - O O
Commercial Kitchen Education Multifamily Residential Retail
Part 1: Parental Leave - - - O
Part 2: Employer Supported Child Care - - - O
Part 3: Family Support - - - O
17

State of California. Unemployment Insurance Code. §3301.

93.1.a

The State of California Unemployment Insurance Code provides six weeks of wage replacement benefits to employees who take time off to care for a new child.

46

United States Code (2006). 29 U.S.C. § 2612.

93.1.b

United States federal law permits eligible individuals to receive up to twelve weeks of unpaid family leave benefits.

93.3.a

United States federal law permits eligible individuals to receive up to twelve weeks of unpaid family leave benefits.

51

National Partnership for Women and Families. Expecting Better: A State-by-State Analysis of Laws That Help New Parents.
http://www.nationalpartnership.org/research-library/work-family/expecting-better-2014.pdf. Published June, 2014:23. Accessed September 15, 2014.

93.3.b

The National Partnership for Women and Families' Expecting Better identifies that nine US states and the District of Columbia allow some workers to use their leave to care for either a new child or an ill family member.

93.3.c

The National Partnership for Women and Families' Expecting Better recognizes states that improve upon federal law by providing nursing mothers with reasonable break times and a space other than a bathroom to express breast milk at work.

66

Sloan Work and Family Research Network. Why is Employer-Supported Child Care an Important Business Issue? https://workfamily.sas.upenn.edu/sites/workfamily.sas.upenn.edu/files/imported/pdfs/EWS_ESCC.pdf. Published 2009. Accessed September 15, 2014.

93.2.a

Sloan Work and Family Research Network's Why is Employer-Supported Child Care an Important Business Issue states that on-site childcare centers help increase loyalty to an organization and reduce commuting time.

93.2.b

Sloan Work and Family Research Network's Why is Employer-Supported Child Care an Important Business Issue states that subsidies and vouchers help provide tax credits for employers and lower employees' financial expenses.