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OSHA Standards for the Construction Industry as of January 2010
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CCH® HR MANAGEMENT - 11/10/08

Child care ranks high among important workplace benefits

Child care is among the most important workplace benefits for families with two working parents, according to a comprehensive study released by The Consulting Practice at Bright Horizons Family Solutions. Among the many compelling findings, the study, which is the latest in the consulting practice's decade-long series of research initiatives, indicates that one in four parents using work-site child care have actually turned down or not pursued a job change because of the lack of work-site child care.

With the number of families with two working parents at an all-time high, the report proves that high-quality, reliable work-site child care is an important benefit employees depend on to be productive and present at work. In return for this benefit, they are rewarding their employers with their loyalty and commitment, with one survey respondent saying, "Having a child care facility here is why I have chosen not to look for work at other companies."

The key findings include:

• Ninety-four percent of parents using full-service child care centers say that work-site child care would affect their decision to make a job change;
• Sixty-eight percent say that workplace child care was important in their decision to join their company;
• Ninety-one percent of women say access to on-site child care was important in their decision to come back to work with their present employer after the birth or adoption of a child, with 68 percent saying it was very important;
• Ninety percent of parents using full-service centers say that access to a work-site child care center positively affects their ability to successfully concentrate on the job and be productive; and
• Users of work-site child care were 68 percent more likely to have five to nine years tenure with their organizations than non-center users.

Another survey respondent said, "I could not perform my job duties without the child care center. I am able to be the mother I want to be --involved, active --and still be a model employee. When I am at work, I know that my kids are happy and well-cared for; so I can really focus on my work when I'm here."

More than 3,200 parents who participated in a full-service employer-sponsored child care center and more than 800 parents who participated in a back-up child care center sponsored by their employer responded to the survey. The study was compared to a control database of nearly 100,000 respondents from hundreds of employers who had participated in assessment surveys over the past ten years prior to their employer offering any child care benefit.

For employers, the study results support their own evidence around child care's impact on recruitment, retention, absenteeism and productivity. Employers have seen that child care solutions have helped them achieve their business goals and representatives from nearly 400 companies and organizations across all industries signed on to a webinar to review the results.

"When considering many different strategies to recruit and retain top nurses and other health care professionals, it became apparent that offering child care at Virginia Hospital Center would be an advantage for both employer and employee," said Michael Malone, vice president of administrative services at Virginia Hospital Center. "The released survey data supports the hospital's decision to offer this important benefit to employees which ultimately allows the parent and child to grow and thrive."

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