Day Care in the Workplace

Daycare in the workplace is a non-monetary reward in workplaces. Daycare in the workplace is a convenience for many employees, but is it beneficial? It could be of financial benefit for some employees. It could be a more reliable and trustworthy environment for the children as well as some parents compared to daycares outside the work-site.

Working parents, single parents, especially parents working for a low income often have trouble finding adequate childcare for their youngsters. It is not easy for a parent to live comfortably knowing that their son or daughter is leaving them with a stranger. Everyday people are asking themselves, are the kids eating right? Are they getting fair treatment? Are they feeling ok? Are they crying or smiling? Do they feel comfortable with the place and the people in it? Are they getting enough attention? Are they learning anything? I miss them so much. Do they miss me? I never have enough time to spend with them. There are so many questions and thoughts running through parents minds. Sometimes they wonder is it worth it for them to work, if they are only working to pay someone else to care for their children. There are many things to consider when choosing childcare.

Time management is a difficult task for many people, especially those with children. Parents that have to worry about taking their children to daycares and babysitters often fall behind on schedule. In many circumstances, people have to travel long distances and different directions to drop their children off to the caregiver. These discrepancies in one's schedule could cause problems such as tardiness to the workplace, picking up children, and less personal family time. Unscheduled absences, for example, cost employers between $650 and $1,000 per employee per year (Bright Horizons, 2006, para. 2). Statistics show that 98% of parents who use the program would have taken unscheduled time off from work to care for their children had the back-up program not been available (2006). In just one year, the back-up program generated more than a 100% return on investment (2006). Among parents, 45% miss at least one day of work every six months due to childcare issues (2006, para. 4). Sixty-five percent of working parents are late to work or leaving work early due to childcare issues (2006, para. 5). This occurs on an average of 7.5 times in a six-month timeframe (2006). A childcare system in the workplace would probably be a benefit for some employees as well as the company. They may feel more confident and trusting with a daycare at work rather then any other source of childcare outside. One advantage of childcare in the workplace is having peace of mind that your child is nearby, being able to check up on your child whenever possible, and only being a footstep away in case of emergency. Parents and caregivers have the chance to get to know one another. Distance can make a great difference in one's feelings. The feeling of knowing your children are in a well-nurtured environment can take a large amount of stress off the mind. The feeling of confidence and comfort can have an effect on one's motivation, talent, work performance, and productivity. A proven fact is that 87 percent of parents worry less about their child's safety and well-being with work-site childcare (galtglobalreview, 2006, para. 2). When considering a job change, 93 percent of parents say work-site childcare is an important factor (2006, para. 1). Nineteen percent of employees had actually turned down another job, rather than lose their work-site childcare, and 26% of those who turned down other job opportunities were managers (2006). Eighty-three percent of employees that are expecting a child, plan to return to work if work-site childcare is available (Brighthorizons, 2006, para. 2). Eighty- six percent of parents that do not plan