Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

THE Shenzhen Women and Children’s Development Foundation, in partnership with UNICEF China, unveiled China’s first-ever family- friendly workplace certification system Thursday.

The new system aims to guide companies in creating supportive, inclusive workplaces that cater to the needs of working families.

Based on the All-China Federation of Trade Unions’ “Guidelines for Creating Family-Friendly Workplaces” and UNICEF’s “Business Handbook on Family-Friendly Policies,” the certification system is also informed by research led by Xu Yushan, a researcher at the Shenzhen Academy of Social Sciences.

The newly developed certification system provides a quantitative framework for evaluating family-friendly workplace practices.

It includes indicators such as the provision of breastfeeding rooms, health checks, flexible working hours, the minimum leave time for annual leave applications, and the availability of fitness facilities for employees.

“We hope to help businesses transform unconscious actions into conscious plans, implicit measures into explicit policies, and temporary practices into long-term systems,” Xu said.

“Instead of increasing the burden on businesses, the system provides guidance, ideas, and suggestions for them to develop an inclusive, family-oriented culture while enhancing workforce productivity and staff retention rates,” she explained.

Currently, some Shenzhen enterprises have taken actions to create more family-friendly work environments. For instance, Chow Tai Fook Jewelry & Gold Co. Ltd. in Shenzhen offers flexible work arrangements called “Mom and Dad Posts,” providing staff flexibility with their work hours to assist with school runs or elder care.

Similarly, LED screen maker Unilumin Group has, since 2016, heavily subsidized meals for expectant and nursing mothers. It has also introduced a birth bonus, offering 2,000 yuan (US$277) for a single child and 3,000 yuan for twins since 2020.