Charles Aris earns Family Forward NC certification for parental leave policy

Charles Aris Inc became a Family Forward NC employer in January after successfully earning its certification from the North Carolina-based parental leave advocacy group.

To receive this certification, companies must complete an application with Family Forward NC and have a representative from the organization conduct a thorough review of their parental leave policies and company culture to ensure working parents are guaranteed above-average accommodation.

According to the Family Forward website, this status is determined based on an organization’s “paid leave and wages, accommodations for pregnant and breastfeeding workers, childcare supports, health and wellness benefits and scheduling practices.”

“Charles Aris is thrilled to become Family Forward certified,” said Ashlee Wagner, vice president and practice leader at Charles Aris. “I couldn’t be more thankful for the leaders who came before me for paving the way for my own successful journey into becoming a parent.”

“I wouldn’t be a successful leader, team member and employee without the opportunity to put my family first, so I’m passionate about Charles Aris and other local companies ensuring we’re doing everything possible to support parents and families,” she added.

Charles Aris offers new parents a 12-week paid leave period to care for children. Parent in this context refers to a Charles Aris team member who is a birth parent; a same-sex domestic partner of the birth parent; an adoptive parent; a same-sex domestic partner of an adoptive parent; a foster parent; or a same-sex domestic partner of a foster parent.

Team members on paid parental and/or primary caregiver leave receive 100% of their base salary, accrue PTO at the normal rate and are entitled to paid holidays. Importantly, Charles Aris evaluates each situation on a case-by-case basis to ensure leave is handled correctly and that new parents are fully supported and fairly compensated during their absence.

“At Charles Aris, we believe that when we support the families of our team, we’re investing in the heartbeats behind our success. By extending care within and beyond the office walls, we are building a community where every member feels valued, supported and empowered to thrive both at work and at home,” said Danielle Bowman, chief people officer at Charles Aris.

About Family Forward:

“Family Forward NC is an innovative initiative to improve the health and well-being of children and their parents and keep North Carolina’s businesses and workplaces competitive. It is employer-led change to increase access to research-based, family-friendly practices—big and small—that improve workplace productivity, recruitment and retention; grow a strong economy; and support children’s healthy development.”

Learn more at FamilyForwardNC.com.