Inside Duke Medicine

‘Family-friendly,’ again

For the seventh consecutive year, Carolina Parent magazine has named Duke University and Duke University Health System as one of the top family-friendly workplaces in North Carolina.

Duke provides many family-friendly options, including child care, time-off benefits, elder care, day camps, discount programs and more to assist faculty and staff in balancing the demands of work and family.

Remco Laan, a physical therapist at Durham Regional Hospital, is one of the more than 300 staff members who took advantage of one such option: Duke’s parental leave benefit.

“Duke Parental Leave is a great benefit, especially for us having our firstborn,” said Laan. “I didn’t know what to expect when I was preparing to become a dad. During my daughter’s first three months, my wife and I got hardly any sleep. Duke Parental Leave allowed me to take quality time to spend with my daughter without having to worry about work.”

Duke offers many other family-friendly programs, including flexible work arrangements and education assistance and the Mobile Farmers Market, which provides an opportunity for employees to buy a share of their favorite products from a participating farmer and pick up their weekly share on Duke’s campus.

“I invited my wife and kids to come with me to the Farmer’s Market on Earth Day,” said Brent Asrican, who works in neurobiology. “It was great. We learned about rain barrels and composting, saw all the vegetables for sale, and had lunch. “

Vice President for Human Resources Clint Davidson said Carolina Parent—whose September issue contains the latest list of family-friendly workplaces—is the latest in a series of organizations citing Duke as a best place to work.

“The fact that Duke is now included on such lists is a sign that we are on the right path and making progress,” Davidson said. “While we have been named to the Carolina Parent list for several years now, we continue to improve existing programs and introduce new ones to make Duke a more supportive place for faculty and staff who are managing the difficult challenges of work and family life.”

With more than 30,500 faculty and staff, Duke is the largest private employer in the Triangle.

For more information about Duke’s family-friendly programs, visit the Family-Friendly Benefits web site at http://www.hr.duke.edu/child-family