As industries adapt to business under COVID-19, Family Forward NC is building a Rapid Response program to provide hospitality and manufacturing employers with the resources and support needed as they face family workplace issues during their return to work/retooling of their businesses.
The COVID-19 crisis has affected all industries across NC and the country, but particularly those that Family Forward NC is engaging in hospitality and manufacturing. Americans working in the leisure and hospitality sector are currently the highest unemployed, at over 35 percent. Many manufacturers are operating at reduced capacity, are at a standstill or have swiftly become part of the front-line fight against the spread of disease.
Lack of paid leave and low availability of child care, coupled with the high cost of care—which were significant trouble spots before the crisis—have disproportionately affected these industries in ways that are devastating economically and, in some situations, unsafe from a public health standpoint.
Workers in these industries have historically had modest or no access to family-friendly benefits and are often people of color—a fact that has been highlighted as a result of COVID-19. And people of color represent a disproportionate percent of NC’s COVID-19 cases, because they work in “high touch” service industries that have been deemed essential during COVID-19; have less access to health insurance and healthcare; and have higher rates of underlying health conditions.
COVID-19 is also affecting young children’s physical and mental health and interrupting their education. The COVID-19 pandemic will impact a whole generation of our children, and disproportionately on children of color.
Family Forward NC’s Rapid Response program provides hospitality and manufacturing employers with the resources and support needed as they face family workplace issues during their return to work/retooling of their businesses. Family-friendly businesses will be able to reopen strategically; have employees best equipped to return faster and more fully and establish a culture of ongoing safety and security to attract and retain talent now and in the future and support the health and well-being of families and children.
The program offers:
COVID-19 has heightened awareness about the importance of supporting working parents, young children and building a strong economy. Now let’s propel that awareness into action.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more about our Family Forward NC Rapid Response program and our Return to Work Kit.