Duke Recognized as Family-Friendly Workplace

For the 13th straight year, Carolina Parenting listed Duke University and Duke University Health System among the top 50 family-friendly workplaces in North Carolina.

The September issue of Carolina Parent magazine will include Duke in its annual family-friendly list of companies recognized for supporting and encouraging working parents.

"We are proud to have Carolina Parent recognize our efforts to help employees strike a healthy balance between work and home life," said Joyce Williams, assistant vice president for benefits at Duke. "We strive to be a family-friendly workplace for every family."

With about 35,000 employees, Duke offers benefits that address a host of family concerns, such as the need for quality childcare, health insurance for dependents and financial security in retirement. Despite the constitutional amendment in North Carolina that limits legal recognition of marriage to heterosexual couples, Duke continues to offer benefits to same-sex couples and their dependents.

This year, Carolina Parent recognized Duke for financial programs such as health care and retirement benefits and offering family-friendly options like flexible work options and on-site childcare. With the opening of The Little School at Duke in September 2012, Duke increased its on-site childcare capacity from 152 children to approximately 320.

Anton Zuiker, communications director for the Department of Medicine, enrolled his 3-year-old son Oliver in The Little School at Duke as soon as it opened.

"My wife stays home with Oliver two days a week, but for those other days, we wanted childcare convenient to my job," he said. "The Little School's flexibility fit our family's needs, and my son knows we are getting close each morning when he sees the hospital with the helicopter on top."

In addition to traditional family-friendly benefits, Duke also offers family fun perks. These include discounts at local movie theaters, kid-friendly activities and summer camps and free or reduced price tickets to athletic events such as Duke women's basketball and football's Employee Kickoff Celebration.

"For the past two years, I've taken my boyfriend, his father and his brother to the Employee Kickoff Celebration game," said Lesley Looper, a librarian at Duke. "Even though they are North Carolina State fans, they've been good sports about rooting for Duke for one game a year."

For more information about Duke's family-friendly programs and benefits, visit the Human Resources website.