Child care: the management challenge for the 1990's

Twenty percent of all women workers have children under five and in 56% of families with dependent children, both parents work. Inadequate childcare facilities for these working parents can result in high absenteeism, low productivity and a high turnover rate. More and more companies are seeing the advantages to providing a carefully planned work-based childcare centre which ultimately benefits not just the employees, but the employer and the children. This video provides several examples of Sydney-based companies who have taken the initiative, including the Vacation Program run jointly by the NAB, ANZ, NML and CML, the Messengers Cottage Creche for the Esso/Lend Lease employees and the Flemington Market’s proposed childcare centre. The consensus appears to be a higher retention of skilled workers, particularly women, and an overall improvement in productivity.