New Research Reveals Americans, as Both Employees and Consumers, Value Family-Friendly Benefits Over More Costly Perks
May 11 2020 - 9:30AM
Business Wire
Care.com survey also finds 84% of employees
and consumers say treating workers well influences their purchase
decisions
American workers say they are letting both their families and
employers down due to poor work-life balance, and value
family-friendly benefits over flashier, costlier work perks,
according to findings of the Work + Life Report, a research study
released today by Care.com. Conducted as the first effects of the
novel COVID-19 pandemic swept across America, the survey asked
1,254 full-time American workers how family-friendly benefits, like
backup childcare, affect employee productivity, recruitment,
retention, and attrition, as well as how they influence what brands
or stores consumers favor.
In the best of times, families struggle to balance work with
caring for children and elderly family members. Over the past
decade, the cost to U.S. businesses in lost productivity due to
care-related absenteeism, distraction, adjustments and turnover was
in the multi-billions annually. Yet, before the current COVID-19
crisis, employers at large were still slow to register the full
impact of care issues in the workplace or to respond to demands of
employees for more support.
“What the COVID-19 pandemic has so brutally revealed is that a
sustainable balance between work and family life is crucial for
both personal and economic well-being,” said Scott Healy, executive
vice president and general manager of Care@Work, Care.com’s
enterprise solution for employers. “American workers, both as
employees and consumers, choose whom to work for and whom to buy
from based on how companies treat their workforce, and the Work +
Life Report shows that family-friendly benefits are among the key
criteria on which companies are being judged.”
Across all respondents, from Gen Z to Baby Boomers, both
salaried and hourly, male and female, family care benefits ranked
highly as a reason to stay at a current job or pursue a new one.
Flexibility, paid family leave, and subsidized backup childcare all
ranked above commuter benefits, student loan assistance and tuition
reimbursement, and half of respondents even said that a company’s
offering family-friendly benefits is important when choosing an
employer—whether they personally need the benefit or not.
The report also shows that for many American workers, a care
crisis was already in full swing before the current pandemic hit.
While 86% of respondents said they’ve had to stay home from work to
care for a family member at least a few times per year, more than
half (53%) said it’s happened as often as once per week. Another
53% said they’ve arrived late or left early up to once a week
because a family member needed care, with 83% saying it happened at
least a few times per year. And 63% said that care issues forced
them to cut back on their regular hours – a number that climbs to
70% among those who care for an elderly family member.
These care responsibilities — and the failure of employers to
help navigate them — are leading employees to feel that they’re
failing at work and at home. Almost half (47%) said they’ve missed
family events due to work as often as once per week. Another 73%
said they occasionally feel like they’re letting down the people
who need their care, with 52% saying they feel that way as often as
once a week. And 72% said they’ve had to scramble to find someone
else to care for a family member at the last minute. But making
sacrifices at home isn’t necessarily making them better workers. A
full 80% of respondents admitted they’ve felt distracted at work,
66% said their job performance has suffered, and 62% have missed a
meeting or deadline due to family responsibilities.
This growing reality about work-life integration challenges
extends beyond work; it’s also shaping consumer behavior. The
research found that employees see family-friendly benefits as a
prime marker of socially responsible companies – a quality that
influences both job seekers and consumers. 83% of respondents
agreed offering family-friendly benefits like paid leave or backup
care match the definition of a socially responsible company,
ranking above sustainability programs, and 84% said treating
workers well is important in helping them decide which brand or
store to buy from.
To access the complete report, please visit
https://workplace.care.com/work-life-report-2020.
The Work + Life Report Methodology:
In the month of February 2020, the Work + Life Report captured
responses from 1,254 U.S. residents across a wide array of
industries, all of whom work enough hours to be eligible for
employer benefits.
About Care.com:
Available in more than 20 countries, Care.com is the world’s
leading platform for finding and managing high-quality family care.
Care.com is designed to meet the evolving needs of today’s families
and caregivers, offering everything from household tax and payroll
services and customized corporate benefits packages covering the
care needs of working families, to innovating new ways for
caregivers to be paid and obtain professional benefits. Since 2007,
families have relied on Care.com’s industry-leading products—from
child and elder care to pet care and home care. Care.com is an IAC
company (NASDAQ: IAC).
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200511005594/en/
Natasha Gavilanez Senior PR Associate
Natasha.gavilanez@care.com
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