Work-Life Balance

We are committed to helping our faculty members achieve a healthy, productive balance between their personal and professional lives.

For many years, we have advanced policies and programs that give our faculty members the freedom to focus on their families while advancing their careers. Our policies also recognize the changing definitions of family — from blended families, adopted families, and same-sex domestic partnerships, to the demands of caring for aging parents.

Family-Friendly Penn

Family-Friendly Policies at Penn

Quality of Work Life program

Penn provides a wealth of resources to support your family needs:

  • Ease the financial impact of bringing home a new child through Penn’s new child benefit. Penn's Adoption Assistance Program provides reimbursement for up to $5,000 in eligible adoption expenses.

  • Use our Dependent Care resources and a Dependent Care Pre-Tax expense account.

  • Use Penn’s backup care program to find temporary child and elder care for your dependents so you can meet your work responsibilities. Penn partially offsets your cost through a subsidy program that depends on your annual base salary.

  • Let Penn’s Nursing Mothers Program help you make a smoother transition back to work when you're nursing your newborn.

  • Register for Snow Day Child Care for access to all-day care for children ages 12 weeks to 12 years when the University is open but Philadelphia public schools are closed due to inclement weather. Snow Day Child Care is generally available between December and March.

  • Access Worklife Resources for free, confidential, 24-hour-a-day phone and online support for everyday needs and goals. You and your immediate family members can get practical solutions, realistic answers, and customized resources for a full range of dependent care and other family issues.

  • Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse/partner, and your children can get tuition assistance here at Penn, and your children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

Work-Life Resources

Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your worklife balance.

Healthy Living Programs

Get—and stay—healthy with a variety of health and wellness resources to keep your mind and body in shape:

  • Keep the flu at bay through our annual flu shot program each fall.
  • Visit our annual health fair in the spring for free health screenings and a wealth of helpful information.
  • Kick the smoking habit for good by taking advantage of Penn’s quit smoking programs and resources.
  • Get ergonomics tips to help you improve your workspace and prevent injuries.
  • Enjoy discounted fitness club memberships through Penn’s Recreation department and the GlobalFit program.
  • Join the popular Penn Walking Program to make exercise a part of your daily routine.

Work and Life Support

Penn can help you manage the competing demands of home and work with our supportive programs:

  • Find out how Penn’s family-friendly programs (described above) can help you meet your everyday needs.
  • Take advantage of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for free, confidential, around-the-clock counseling and referral services for personal and professional life issues for you and your immediate family.
  • Access Worklife Resources for free, confidential, 24-hour-a-day phone and online support for everyday needs and goals. You and your immediate family members can get practical solutions, realistic answers, and customized resources for a full range of dependent care and other family issues.
  • Attend free worklife workshops designed to support you through personal and professional life challenges.