Survey Shows Strong Demand for Backup Child and Elder Care Support Programs

Help Needed for the Home Front: A national survey of working adults commissioned by Workplace Options, a provider of work/life employee benefits, found that 59 percent of employees or their spouses missed three to 10 days of work during the past year because of a lack of adequate backup child or elder care options. Backup care is needed when primary child care or elder care arrangements fall through because of illness, vacation or other unexpected circumstances. When these situations arise, they can be stressful and costly for employers and employees alike. Workplace Options conducted its survey to learn just how severe the issue is in corporate America today. The national survey, conducted on March 12 and 13, polled working adults with dependents about their backup care needs and opinions. When asked how valuable backup care would be, 93 percent of respondents said “clearly valuable” or “extremely valuable.” “With increasing numbers of working parents also having to care for elderly relatives, the need for backup care services is rising,” said Alan King, president of Workplace Options. “For a reasonable investment, companies that invest in backup care support services realize huge savings as a result of reduced absenteeism and higher employee productivity and retention.” When respondents were asked whether they or their partner missed any work during the past year because they did not have backup care, 59 percent responded “yes,” with 56 percent missing three to 10 days of work. Additionally, 59 percent of respondents called in on short notice to use vacation time or sick leave because they did not have backup care. When asked how comfortable they would be about using a backup care program, 85 percent said they would be comfortable using such programs.