657,000€ per year — that is the sum that a company loses if it does not invest resources in reconciling the family and career of its employees.
This impressive figure shows the costs that a company with 1,000 employees will incur if measures are not introduced to support families. These are the costs that parents incur due to ten days off per year alone because they are unable to work due to daycare absences, lack of afternoon care or generally too few childcare options. Care issues and absences of children due to illness have not yet been taken into account at all. The trend of these costs is increasing.
50,000€ - these are the costs that arise when a single employee leaves the company and has to be recruited again because he has changed employers due to the lack of reconciliation of family and career or does not return after parental leave.
Being inactive as a company is expensive! But how much does it really cost to invest in family-friendly measures, and what benefits can be derived from this?
Free measures
There are numerous family-friendly measures that can be implemented at no additional cost. This includes:
- Flexible working: The ability to make working hours flexible helps parents to better organize their everyday lives.
- Home office: Being able to work from home reduces stress from commuting and makes it easier to care for children.
- flexitime: Flexible work starts and end times enable parents to adapt their working hours to their children's care hours.
- Tandem stations: Job-sharing models enable two part-time workers to share a full-time position, which is particularly attractive for parents.
- Parent Network: Establishing an internal network for parents can promote exchange and support among themselves.
- Family-friendly work culture: A corporate culture that takes into account the needs of families creates a positive working environment and strengthens employee loyalty.
Minimal financial investment (up to 10k/year)
Companies can achieve a great deal even with low financial outlay. Measures with an investment volume of up to 10,000€ per year include:
- Holiday programs: Offers to care for schoolchildren during vacation periods significantly relieve parents.
- Extended parental leave: The option to take additional unpaid time beyond legal parental leave gives parents more flexibility.
- Re-entry programs: Helping parents return to work after parental leave makes it easier to return to working life.
- Advice and assistance: Counseling services on topics such as childcare and caring for relatives help parents to better organize themselves.
- family allowances: Financial subsidies to support families relieve employees and increase their satisfaction.
- Support with childcare and care needs: Subsidies or organizational assistance for childcare and care of relatives improve the reconciliation of family and work.
- Parent-child office: An office where parents can bring their children with them when needed offers short-term relief.
- Career planning with family: Individual career planning, which takes the family situation into account, supports the long-term development of employees.
The return on investment
The use of family-friendly measures has positive effects that are far superior to investments. This includes:
- Reduced absenteeism: Flexible work models and care services can significantly reduce absences due to childcare bottlenecks.
- Higher employee retention and reduced turnover: Family-friendly measures increase employee satisfaction and loyalty, which leads to lower turnover and lower recruitment costs.
- Strengthening the employer brand: Companies that offer family-friendly measures are more attractive employers and have a competitive advantage in recruiting new talent.
conclusion
The introduction of family-friendly measures in companies is not only a question of social responsibility, but also an economic necessity. The costs of inaction are significant, while investments in family-friendly measures offer a positive return on investment in the long term. Companies should therefore not hesitate to implement these measures in order to increase employee satisfaction and productivity and to position themselves as an attractive employer.
