This is a legacy version of the WELL Building Standard. Please check the latest version here.
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  2. Workplace family support

Workplace family support

Features>Mind>93. Workplace family support

93. Workplace family support

Intent: 

To ensure occupants are able to properly care for themselves and their families by adopting supportive family care policies.

Work-life balance can often be overlooked and personal lives neglected to work responsibilities. Family care policies ensure that employees are able to take the necessary time off for self-care and balance their work and personal lives in a healthy manner. Research shows that employees with extensive time-flexible policies report lower stress levels.

Part 1: Parental Leave

Employers provide the following:

a.182 Paid paternity and maternity leave for 6 workweeks during any 12-month period.
b.46 Additional 12 workweeks of paternity or maternity leave during any 12-month period.
Part 2: Employer Supported Child Care

Employers provide at least one of the following:

a.66 On-site child care centers compliant with local child care licensure.
b.66 Subsidies or vouchers for child care.
Part 3: Family Support

Employers provide the following:

a.46 At least 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period for the care of a seriously ill child, spouse, domestic partner, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild or sibling.
b.51 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.51 All nursing mothers with break times of at least 15 minutes, every 3 hours.
Endocrine
Immune
Digestive
Respiratory

Applicability Matrix

Core & Shell New & Existing Buildings New & Existing 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 Restaurant Retail
Part 1: Parental Leave - O - O O
Part 2: Employer Supported Child Care - O - O O
Part 3: Family Support - O - O O

Verification Methods Matrix

Letters of Assurance Annotated Documents On-Site Checks
PART 1 (Organizational Protocol)
Parental Leave 		Policy Document
PART 2 (Organizational Protocol)
Employer Supported Child Care 		Policy Document
PART 3 (Organizational Protocol)
Family Support 		Policy Document

46

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

US federal law entitles eligible employees to up to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period for reasons listed in § 2612(a)(1), including the birth of a child, or placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care.
93.3.a

United States federal law permits eligible employees to receive up to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period for an employee to care for a spouse, child or parent with a serious health condition.
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/expectin.... Published June, 2014:23. Accessed September 15, 2014.
93.3.b

The National Partnership for Women and Families' Expecting Better recognizes US states that allow workers to use their earned paid sick days 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 US states that improve upon federal law by "providing all nursing mothers with reasonable break times and/or a place 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/im.... 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 increase loyalty to an organization and reduce commuting time for employees.
93.2.b

Sloan Work and Family Research Network's "Why is Employer-Supported Child Care an Important Business Issue" notes that subsidies and vouchers provide tax credits for employers and lower employees' personal financial expenses.
182

The White House. Presidential Memorandum -- Modernizing Federal Leave Policies for Childbirth, Adoption and Foster Care to Recruit and Retain Talent and Improve Productivity. https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/15/presidential-memo.... Published January 15, 2015. Accessed June 11, 2015.
93.1.a

A 2015 Presidential Memorandum from the White House directs federal agencies to ensure employee policies offering 240 hours (equivalent to 6 workweeks) of advanced (i.e., paid) sick leave for appropriate uses, including the birth or adoption of a child.
Features>Mind>93. Workplace family support