As Victoria's population ages, the prime working-age group of 26-40 year olds is shrinking. Due to changes in our society, more workers will be combining caring responsibilities at home with paid work. For more information on these shifts see Work family facts and stats.

In this competitive labour market, workplaces that recognise and cater to the needs of modern families will have the edge when competing for skilled, committed employees.

On this site you will find practical tips and advice for creating family friendly workplaces. Tools such as the Model Work and Family Policy, Sample clauses and Better Balance Employee Survey will be especially useful for small to medium sized businesses which may lack the time and expertise to develop these themselves.

• Reasons to be family friendly - see how helping employees balance work and family can really pay off
• Legal obligations - understand what you can and can't do when employing parents and carers
• Creating a family friendly workplace - learn practical, workable strategies for your business
• Starting the conversation - tips for discussing flexible work arrangements with your employees
• Attracting and retaining employees - advice for how your business can recruit and retain parents and carers
• Useful links - where to find more information and support
• Success stories - see what others have done to get some ideas for your workplace

What is work family balance?

A balance between work and family responsibilities happens when a person's need to meet family or carer commitments is accepted and respected in the workplace.

Everyone in the workplace, whether they are employers or employees will need to balance their work with their family or carer responsibilities at some time in their working lives.

Flexible family friendly arrangements or provisions are designed to support people balance their work with their family or carer responsibilities.