Dive Brief:
- Almost half (49%) of new U.S. parents surveyed by Bright Horizons said they would be willing to work for less than their current salary for an organization that offers more family-friendly perks, according to a statement.
- Bright Horizons' 2016 Modern Family Index also revealed that 69% of fathers said a new child would likely lead them to consider a job change. Furthermore, 78% of all respondents said they considered not returning to their current employer after having their first child.
- However, a report from Quartz noted that the 2016 index shows 96% of expectant mothers still feel optimistic about returning to work after having a child, although 43% of that same group said they believed employers viewed them as "less committed" after having children.
Dive Insight:
The past two years have played witness to a great deal of development in support of employees who have children regardless of whether it's their first child.
In 2015, Netflix made waves for mandating that employees receive 'unlimited' maternity and paternity leave as a supplement to its similar vacation policy. And in September, Chobani became one of many recent organizations to offer paid parental leave to employees who wouldn't normally get such perks in similar roles. Observers believe we've reached the tipping point for paid parental leave, and benefits for adoptive parents may be just around the corner.
Employers shouldn't fear the effects of parenthood on productivity. There are strong stories of working mothers having bolstered the operation of the places in which they work, and companies like Patagonia have taken the next step by offering on-site child care (which in and of itself has delivered measurable ROI).
