More two-career couples with kids admit that they have walked away from job offers because of the lack of onsite day care, reveals a survey by Bright Horizons Family Solutions.
One in four working couples who have children enrolled in a company-sponsored day care center report that employer-sponsored child care played a key role in not pursuing certain career opportunities.
Bright Horizons, a provider of child care centers, questioned more than 3,200 parents who participated in an employer-sponsored child care center and more than 800 parents who participated in a back-up child care center sponsored by their employer.
"When considering many different strategies to recruit and retain top nurses and other health care professionals, it became apparent that offering child care ... would be an advantage for both employer and employee," says 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," he adds.
Other key findings include:
▪ Nearly 70% of parents say that onsite child care was important in their decision to join their company.
▪ The majority of women say access to onsite 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% saying it was very important.
▪ About 90% of parents using full-service centers say that access to an onsite child care center positively affects their ability to successfully concentrate on the job and be productive.
▪ Users of onsite child care were 68% more likely to have five to nine years tenure with their organizations than non-center users.
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