Life doesn’t always go as planned, and some employers are growing more willing to roll with their employees’ ups and downs, providing flexible scheduling, paid sick days, and paid parental leave. Nearly two-thirds of American women with a one-year-old child are in the labor force, and about 16.8 million adults over the age of 55 provide unpaid care for elderly family members. Compassion for employee’s problems gives employers a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining the best employees. Also, flexibility in the workplace provides the added bonuses of increasing employee creativity, productivity, and morale. Several large corporations have seen the benefits of becoming more fluid, such as Netflix and Google, but flexible policies are good for the employees of small businesses as well. "Years ago my husband, John, and I decided to offer paid sick days to our employees,” says Jennifer Kimmich, the owner of a small brewery in Vermont. “To the surprise of many small business owners, it was one of the best business decisions we have ever made. Our employee turnover is relatively non-existent and our hiring and training line in the budget is $0."