So companies can be mindful of parenting

Workers are increasingly attentive to their well-being, which not only includes time spent in the company, but also what remains for their family and self-care. Precisely to avoid any resignations with dissatisfied (and therefore unproductive) workers, in the last period more and more companies have focused on corporate welfareoffering its employees services that improve opportunities for work-life balance. It is not just about interventions that offer concrete support to workers, but policies that become gods real forms of investment for companies.

In this sense, just think of the fact that, when an individual is forced to choose between the family and his occupation, giving up his job for the company results in the loss of a person already trained and ready. and, at the same time, in the need to invest other economic resources to prepare and train a new figure.

But, concretely, what are the most widespread measures in companies to support parenting? Generally speaking, the most common corporate welfare and work-life balance interventions can be grouped into macro-areas: smart working, monetary contributions, nursery schools and other company spaces, vouchers and reimbursements and coaching services. Let’s see some of them.

Monetary contributions and extension of leave

Regarding the periods of absence, many companies have chosen to extend paternity leave up to 10/15 days paid at 100%. But many companies have gone further. Schneiderfor example, extended the days of parental leave for new dads, adding to the mandatory 4 days of paid leave in 2018 and a further 3 in 2019 to reach a total of 10 days. Danone integrates the optional maternity period with an economic contribution, bringing the wages of the new mother from 30% to 60%, while fathers are guaranteed 10 days of paid paternity. Also Zurich Italy, starting from 1 January 2020, has extended the leave of 16 paid weeks to all parents, regardless of gender and sexual orientation. In addition, the other parent can take advantage of 6 weeks paid leave to be used after the birth, foster care or adoption of the child.

Company nurseries

Another solution proposed by the companies is the setting up of nursery schools within the company headquarters. Employees can drop off their children there during working hours. In this direction the Nestlein the offices of Perugia and Assago, has set up a nursery school and a private structure, covering part of the fees. Zurich Italy in the Milan office he set up BabyZone, that is, equipped offices ad hoc with games and mini stations where parents can work close to their children in case of sudden needs (such as during periods of school suspension or in the event of strikes). There Aliante Cooperativeon the other hand, to allow workers not to suspend their work in the event of their children’s illness, it has instituted home babysitting, free of charge within a pre-established annual number of hours and for a fee, with discounted rates, at the end of the package. Eni instead it opened a nursery school in San Donato Milanese to provide important support to its employees while Luxottica introduced the baby week, that is a week of paid leave for the inclusion in the nursery and kindergarten of the children of the employees.

Vouchers and refunds for services

First there are the voucher, tools that can be used to help employees purchase diapers, clothing, toys, baby food and any other items sold in their chosen outlets. In addition to the reimbursements for costs incurred by the family for school expenses (enrollment in nursery schools or schools of all levels, school books, after-school, playrooms, school trips, etc.) and the babysitter; it is also possible to provide a supplementary health care plan for private specialist visits at a reduced price for children (dentist, ophthalmologist, etc.). On this front, the Schneider has provided, with a view to supporting parenthood, an economic contribution for the birth of each child to be used in goods and services through the corporate welfare platform; Danone it also provides for a contribution of an economic nature for the care and training of employees’ children, as well as the donation of products for children.

Coaching services for mothers’ return to work

These services aim to enhance the specific skills that develop or strengthen with becoming parents (for example multitasking, empathy, listening and negotiation skills, etc.) and to offer concrete support in dealing with the new ” dual role ”of worker-parent, both legally and psychologically. Some other they aim to support new mothers when they return establishing concrete objectives aimed at his reintegration into the company. Coaching generates greater awareness for all the actors involved in the process, in order to create a personalized path to re-enter the resource. Three companies that take these actions should be noted Mellinwhich informs the future mother about the rights and duties related to maternity and offers her the opportunity to rely on experts to deepen the psychological aspects related to pregnancy and the postnatal period. Ikea periodically organizes for its collaborators workshops open to the public and meetings with psychologists to raise awareness on the issue of the condition of women.

The Reverse and Bitpanda case

On November 9th, the Equal Opportunities Council of the Lombardy Region awarded 10 winners of the tender «Virtuous equality!. The project, now in its third edition, aims to enhance those organizations that have started innovative experiences in the field of corporate welfare and work-life balance. There Reverse of Milan, a company for the research and selection of personnel, was awarded for the “Maternity Charter” project which supports parenthood with targeted actions and which informs and guides employees on the measures available to them.

«In the Reverse world, the well-being of the individual has always been a priority, and when the individual becomes a family, the necessary attention increases. Thinking about family management, we are more committed to these actions, already active for all Reversers, to continue to be a positive model in wellbeing “. Within the corporate welfare project, concessions, vouchers and expense reimbursements on services related to female prevention (preventive medical examinations, check-ups, analyzes), listening desk and proposal of solutions for specific problems, seminars on the parent / parent relationship children and parenting management, support in the Parent Coaching path, and associative activities with specialized realities in the kids world. During the maternity leave the company sends personalized communications with company information and highlights on the key activities of the company implemented during the period of absence, meetings and communications aimed at not losing contact with colleagues. Furthermore, upon return, a structured re-onboarding and re-skilling path is envisaged to reintroduce oneself without information gaps, the guarantee of equal duties and structuring of a new career path with horizontal and transversal mobility, based on the new needs of the person and compatibly with business needs, the facilitation of returning to work through a re-onboarding and re-skilling path structured to reintroduce without information gaps.

Bitpanda, an app specialized in online traiding, has announced a new welfare policy aimed at guaranteeing even more freedom and flexibility, to ensure the right balance between the private and working life of workers in its offices. The package provides unlimited and paid annual leavetwo Recharge Break annual – collective breaks that are granted to the whole team, enabling people to disconnect completely – 20 weeks of paid parental leave gender neutral and the possibility of work from anywhere up to 60 days a year. In particular, the policy of parental leave is aimed at natural, surrogate and adoptive parents of any sex or age, regardless of sexual orientation or family composition, including same-sex partners and single parents.