The Greater Houston Partnership has launched the Best Place for Working Parents®, an online self-assessment enabling local business leaders to determine whether their organization qualifies to earn the designation. Originating in Fort Worth in 2020, the confidential online business self-assessment allows businesses of all sizes tout innovative practices that are helping today’s working parents provide for their families, and adapt and thrive at work during extraordinary times. The assessment highlights the top 10 research-backed policies proven to benefit working parents and businesses’ bottom line. The assessment also provides a real-time dashboard of how a business fares against other businesses of like size and industry across each of the top 10 family-friendly practices in their region. While family-friendly policies have a direct impact on working parents, research shows that there is also a serious business case for being family-friendly: 83% of millennials would leave one job for another with stronger family-friendly support. Replacing an employee costs an employer six to nine months of that employee’s salary. Over 60% of working parents said child care issues have caused them to miss work. Employers lose $13 billion annually due to child care challenges faced by their workforce.    As the lead organization in the Houston region, the Partnership encourages businesses to participate in the assessment and learn more about the effectiveness of their policies. The self-assessment offers real-time designations to businesses of all sizes whose family-friendly policies qualify through a first-of-its-kind, 3-minute online self-assessment. The Best Place for Working Parents® designation for qualifying businesses can be accessed at business.bestplace4workingparents.com. View these additional resources to learn more about the assessment and why it's important.  Case Studies The Family-Friendly Initiative Participating Workplaces Gaining a Competitive Edge through Family-Friendly Policies 2023 National Trends Report “Getting Back to Work” Research Report 2024 National Summit

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, except when you wait till the last minute to do your holiday shopping. To help you find the perfect gifts, we’ve rounded up a few ideas all Houstonians will love.     For the Foodie  If there is one thing everyone loves about Houston, it is its vibrant and diverse culinary scene. When shopping for your favorite foodie, a gift card to one of the Bayou City’s hottest restaurants such as Brennan’s or Xochi are always a good option.  However, for those who consider themselves a “chef-in-the-making,” consider gifting them a sushi class at Aya Sushi or a cake decorating class at The CreATEry, for an exciting, hands-on experience.  Bludorn’s exclusive hot sauce – Eight Zero Seven Taft or the famous seasoning salt from the beloved Tex-Mex restaurant Molina’s Cantina would make great stocking stuffers for your foodie.  If your gift is making its way outside of Texas, consider a piece of beautiful, hand-painted dinnerware from Kin Dee or a cookbook from local celebrity chef Hugo Ortega – Street Food of Mexico.  Click to expand For the Book Lovers Skip Amazon and Barnes and Nobles this holiday season and check out some of Houston’s independent bookstores for unique gifts for the book lover on your gifting list. At Blue Willow, located in West Houston, you can find books from local authors, literature-themed merchandise and a subscription service – Another Shade of Blue, which mails a surprise hardcover book signed by the author every quarter to the recipient.  If your book lover is also a crime junkie, stop by Murder By The Book near the Texas Medical Center for binge-worthy mystery novels and magazines that will surely have them hunting for clues.   Click to expand For the Experience Seeker From a year-long Houston Zoo access to exploring the Museum of Fine Arts, the Bayou City has no shortage gift options for your experience seeker. For those who love live performances and sporting events, consider gifting them tickets to an upcoming show at the Hobby Center, which will soon bring TINA – The Tina Turner Musical and Les Misérables to Houston.  More of a sports fan? Catch a Rockets game at the Toyota Center or get an exclusive tour of Minute Maid Park for an inside look of the home of the Houston Astros.   Click to expand For the DIYer   Struggling to find the perfect gift for someone that insists they can make it themselves? Consider gifting a class at The Mad Potter, a pottery painting space where creatives can design their very own ceramic décor or dining ware. The Honey Art Café also offers a variety of art classes including portrait drawing, holiday card and calligraphy and bullet journaling.  For those who like larger projects, check out The Rustic Brush, where you can create your own charcuterie boards, door and wall signs, pet beds and more.  Click to expand