This content is brought to you in partnership with Family Forward NC, an innovative initiative to improve children’s health and well-being and keep North Carolina’s businesses competitive. Register for the Family Forward NC Summit to learn how your business can attract and retain top talent while developing the workforce of tomorrow.
Who, when, where and how are questions that come into play when parents have to determine what do with their children during working hours. Many have serious trouble finding affordable and high-quality child care. Employers are suffering too: Nationwide, companies lose $4.4 billion each year due to employee absences or loss of productivity related to child care issues.
Family Forward NC features smart child care options for businesses as part of its newly released Guide to Family Forward Workplaces. The guide provides research and tools for employers to implement workplace policies that have proven positive business outcomes and a positive impact on child health and well-being.
One way employers can provide ease of mind for parents is to offer on-site child care. Taylorsville-based furniture company Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams offers an on-site, education based, not-for-profit child care facility for its local employees and members of the community. The company, founded in 1989 by CEO Mitchell Gold and President Bob Williams, has more than 900 employees in the U.S. Its Lulu’s Child Enrichment Center in Alexander County offers space for 77 children from infancy to age 12.
Here are five reasons why it pays for employers to provide on-site child care:
1. Increases productivity and reduces stress. “There’s a lot of angst and anxiety that goes along with being a first-time mom as it is, so knowing that your child is being well cared for puts those things at ease,” says Gabrielle Sinclair, a first-time mom on the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams human resources team.
2. Improves recruitment and retention. “Somebody once told me that how you take care of a parent when they’re having their child, especially their first child, really has an impact on that parent and really lets them think long term about who you are as a person, who you are as a company,” says Gold.
3. Reduces employee absenteeism. More than seven in 10 parents say their work has been impacted by child care falling through, according to a report from Care.com.
4. Reduces financial burden when employers negotiate a lower rate. One in three families with young children spend 20% or more of their income on child care, according to the North Carolina Child Care Resource & Referral Center.
5. Increases in tax breaks for businesses. Having an on-site child care option allows a tax credit of up to 25% of facility expenditures plus 10% of any resource and referral expenditures, up to $150,000 in a calendar year. There are also business expense tax deductions for remaining facility expenses.
If you’re looking for a way to make your North Carolina business smart, family friendly and future ready, Family Forward NC can help. Check out their blog and employer guide, attend the Family Forward NC Summit, sign up for their newsletter, or follow them on social media for more helpful tips from the experts.
