Marathon County Family Friendly Survey

A Marathon County partnership of over 50 organizations advocating for early childhood success and family well-being partnered with WIPPS to create a “family-friendly” survey to gauge how residents view work-life balance in the workplace. Survey results have been used to help local businesses and nonprofits make the community and workplaces more family-friendly.

“This survey will help us understand what people living and working in Marathon County value in a family-friendly workplace,” said Dean Dietrich, chair of the Marathon County Early Years Coalition. “Using this information, we can work together as a community to improve the lives of families and, in particular, young children, providing them with the best start for a productive life.”

Key questions answered by the survey include:

• What kinds of family-friendly workplace policies and programs are currently available, and how are they viewed by employees?
• How much do employees value family-friendly workplace policies and programs compared to other job factors?
• What family-friendly policies and benefits do employers rank as among the most important in their business goals to attract and retain employees?
• Where are opportunities to work together across the county to address community needs?

The survey also examined national trends and received input from employers and employees to provide meaningful information to improve attraction and retention of their workforce.