Recently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics compiled an Employment Characteristics of Families Summary that detailed the workforce participation of parents in the U.S. According to the summary:
- 80 percent of families with children have at least one employed member
- 70 percent of mothers with children under the age of 18 are employed or actively looking for work
- 93 percent of fathers with children under the age of 18 are currently employed
- In 60 percent of married-couple families with children, both parents work either full or part-time
Clearly, working parents contribute significantly to the U.S. workforce and its advancing economy. Yet for many employed parents, enrolling their children in daycare is a costly, inconvenient, and often stressful burden that can interfere with their ability to focus and be productive in the workplace.
All too often, companies employ parents without offering them important options for balancing work and home life, such as worksite daycare. But newly released research from Horizons Workforce Consulting reveals that company on-site daycare facilities address both parent concerns and important business imperatives.
Some important key points from the research include:
- 95 percent of employed parents said worksite daycare helped their productivity
- One out of every seven employed parents have turned down a job because the company didn't offer worksite daycare
- Providing on-site daycare facilities can improve employee retention and reduce employee distraction
- When a working parent leaves a company to stay home and care for a child, 20 percent of their salary is spent on productivity losses, i.e., searching for, initiating, and training a new employee
On-site daycare facilities allow parents to bring their children to work, spend lunch and break times with them, and commute back home with them in the evenings, all of which contribute invaluably to the work/life balance that is so important to working families.
While the costs associated with implementing on-site daycare facilities can be a bit overwhelming (staffing, training, leasing space, meeting all code requirements, maintaining insurance, etc.) the financial rewards of worksite daycare can be just as lucrative.
Without distracted parents leaving early or coming in late because of their children, productivity in your office will flourish, and ultimately, so will your company's bottom line.
