Most working parents have at some time experienced panic and high stress from needing backup child care at the last minute. The reasons for needing backup child care are varied, and include the caregiver becomes ill, schools are closed for training or holidays, or an unexpected injury occurs. The result is less-than-ideal in that parents may be forced to have either or mom or dad stay home, potentially losing income or even their job, or scramble to beg a stay-at-home neighbor or nearby friend to watch kids for a day. The need to find backup care becomes even greater when it's a single parent. Even if parents manage to get to their jobs, they are often stressed and distracted and certainly perform at a lesser level than when everything is okay and by schedule on the homefront.
According to
Work Options Group, a Colorado-based company that specializes in the provision of corporate-sponsored backup care, help is on the way for many parents. A growing number of employers, who recognize the value of working parents as employees and want to keep them happy on the job, are adding backup care as an employee benefit. The company benefits by reducing unscheduled absenteeism, boosting productivity, and supporting employees with family care responsibilities. While a primary focus is on care for young children, the backup care option typically extends to employees who care for adults or elderly family members as well.
Key findings from a 2008 Backup Care Survey of more than 1,200 individuals from 130 U.S. companies included the following:
When backup care is not offered by your employer, what would you do?
- 71 percent miss work to provide care
- 14 percent will conduct an independent search for short-term care
- 13 percent will ask a friend or family member to care for a loved one
- 2 percent will choose other (i.e. work from home, change work schedule or bring child to work)
Backup care has always an issue for working families, but having a backup plan benefit can provide greater peace of mind, higher productivity, less absenteeism and greater employee loyalty for anyone with young children or who cares for a family member. Employees should ask their personnel department if backup care is a benefit, and if not, request that it be considered for employees.
