In a recent survey by LifeCare (www. lifecare.com), 46 percent of respondents said that they like their current job but want to work fewer hours for child care reasons, and 22 percent want to quit work altogether for child care-related reasons. "Obviously, employers everywhere should take notice of these findings since working parents make up a significant portion of the workforce," Place says, citing a Labor Project for Working Families estimate that 40 percent of the workforce has children under the age of 18.

Employers can hire an employee benefits organization that offers assistance with child care needs.

For example, an employee with access to such a benefit can specify the age of his or her child, the days and hours child care is needed, how close to work or home the child care facility needs to be, how much the employee wants to spend, and what type of program he or she prefers. The benefits organization conducts the research and provides a list of child care facilities that match the employee’s needs. The employee can then visit the facilities and make a selection, according to Place.

Minimize Absenteeism, Increase Productivity

By helping parents find adequate child care, employers can minimize absences resulting from child care issues, prevent other workers from having to pick up the slack, and ensure that employees are not researching options themselves on company time. "You save a lot of stress, time, and energy," says Place.

Sixty-five percent of respondents in another LifeCare survey reported that they miss, on average, up to 2 hours of work per month because of family and personal issues involving child care. In addition, 47 percent of respondents had no before- and after-school care arrangements in place, and 5 percent left children home alone.

"Child care counseling and referral services are a powerful, cost-effective tool for recruiting and retaining working parents–and for improving their productivity and satisfaction levels," Place says. "Employers who don’t prepare to meet this group’s needs will be at a distinct disadvantage in the competitive marketplace."

Place suggests three ways for employers to identify employees’ child care needs:

• Communicate. Talk with employees informally and communicate formally through surveys, for example. "A survey can be a valuable tool," says Place, "providing you’re willing to at least report back to employees on the findings. Otherwise, you’ll lose credibility with them."
• Educate. Through workplace seminars on child care topics, employers can provide helpful information and learn about the issues that employees are facing.
• Be a resource. HR should be in tune with the pulse of employees, as well as available benefits programs.

Employers who decide to offer child care counseling and referral services should take every opportunity to make employees aware of the services–through e-mail, direct mail, and posters in the office, says Place. He says every employee should receive a brochure about the program, along with a letter from the company’s CEO, stating that the company understands that working parents have child care needs and that the company cares about helping employees address those needs.