On-site daycare facilities are a growing trend in many workplaces. It is a benefit that is provided by the employer for employees who are balancing both professional and personal lives. This facility serves as a boon for new parents, who can look after their child, even while working. This facility has an age-bar to this. This facility can be provided by the employer at a nominal fee or even free. This is an initiative carried out by organizations to retain their top talent, who are also working parents, and serves as an aim to integrate both their personal and professional lives.

What is an on-site daycare facility?

In this ever-evolving world, where people are working tirelessly to provide themselves with a comfortable life, working parents often find it difficult to handle their newborn while working. So, onsite daycare facilities serve as a solution to this problem. Onsite childcare facilities provide affordable, top-quality childcare facilities for children of working parents within the workplace itself! Having onsite facilities not only reduces absenteeism amongst employees, increases their morale, but also increases their productivity. It serves as a measure that says to the employees that the organization values them and thinks about how to aid them.

Why should companies provide onsite daycare facilities for employees?

Having an onsite daycare facility within an organization makes it more appealing, increases its brand value, serves as additional perks for the employees, and also helps the firm in achieving its long-term goals. So, some of the reasons as to why should companies provide an onsite daycare facility for employees are mentioned below:

• It is something that a current lot of job seekers demand

Young millennials and gen Z are on a job hunt in today’s time. Though they may not be parents yet, they seem to have done a good amount of future planning and an organization that provides childcare facilities is on top of their lists. So, it helps the employer in attracting good talent.

• It is a great way to show that the employees are a valuable asset to the firm

Having an onsite facility sends a clear message to the employees that both their professional and personal lives are valued by the company and they are doing as much as they can to help them in acing both. This in turn motivates the employees to perform better and repay the trust that the company has shown in them.

• It boosts employee’s morale, dedication and thus increases their productivity

By reducing the separation anxiety that new parents have, automatically increases their concentration on the job at hand by helping them stay more focused without any stress of whether their young one is properly looked after or not.

• It offers flexibility to the employees

Having onsite daycare facilities also provides flexibility to the employees in their way of working, where they can check on their younger ones as and when required and work accordingly. This also instills trust, autonomy, and kindness among the employees.

• It promotes equality of gender in the workplace

Onsite daycare is not only for women employees but also for male ones. More and more fathers are enjoying becoming hands-on parents and helping their partners during the early stage by taking care of their new ones. Also, with increasing women in the workforce, taking care of their needs, also in senior roles, helps to retain them.

What are some of the advantages of providing a daycare facility?

Onsite childcare facilities have tons of advantages both for the employer and the employee. Some of the advantages for the employer are as follows:

• Enhances employee loyalty: Providing an onsite daycare facility is a great way to show the employees that the company values them and thus the employee becomes loyal to the firm. It also makes an attractive benefits package to attract more employees.

• Serves as a performance asset: Studies have revealed that having onsite facilities increases employee concentration and in turn increases returns to the firm. So, it acts as a performance booster for employees.

• Improves the brand name of the firm: Providing a daycare facility at the workplace is a thoughtful initiative and helps the firm to increase its brand value by taking such steps by creating a happy and caring work environment.

• A socially reliable firm: Taking such a step, projects the company’s image as a socially responsible firm, which gives great importance to the work-life balance of its employees.

• Increased recruitment and retention: Providing daycare facilities increases retention rates of employees by making them feel valued and since it is becoming the topmost needs of job seekers, it also enhances the talent pool from which employees can be hired.

• Tax credits: By providing onsite daycare facilities, firms can also claim tax credits.    

Advantages of onsite daycare facilities for the employees are:

• Working parents generally do not have time to look after the child all day, so it provides an easy solution at the workplace.

• Being in the workplace, parents do not face separation anxiety and can have a better balance.

• Parents can go and visit their young ones anytime they desire.

• Onsite facilities are comparatively less costly and are included in the employee’s benefits package.

• Getting a place in the firm’s onsite daycare is easier as compared to some outside daycare.

• Onsite daycare schedules are generally synced with the business schedules and thus they have fewer hassles.

What are some of the cons of having an onsite daycare facility?

An onsite daycare facility has many advantages, no doubt, but it comes with some cons as well. So, the disadvantages of having a daycare facility in the workplace are:

• Cost of building a daycare system: Building a childcare facility requires a huge amount of investment in licensing, additional space requirements, hiring of staff, daycare certifications, and toys and equipment to take care of the babies.

• Distraction to the parents: Having their child with them on the premises, the parents might continue to worry about them all the time and may lose focus and not be able to give their 100% to the projects they were working on.

• Discrimination between employees: People using the facility for their single child might feel discriminated against people who are using the facility for their 2 or 3 children as the benefits may not be evenly distributed.

Childcare facilities at the workplace are for the betterment of the employees. Having an onsite childcare facility is becoming more and more important even from a strategic point of view. Even the employees feel valued and they want to forge long-term relationships with the firms. It provides emotional stability to the working parents and thus they tend to perform better at their jobs. The cons are there too, but the pros have a major lasting impact and will provide the workplace with a better environment to work in.