INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE /JUNE 5, 1990

 

 

Employer-supported
child care
continued from page 5

affects you at work because you
think about it all the time.”

Dr. Arthur Emlen, Professor at
Portland State University, notes
that the impact of changing
gender roles is felt deeply in the
workplace. “The problems are
real and they need to be ad-
dressed,” says Emlen. “Com-
panies are seeking a good
workforce, and the difference be-
tween men and women is chang-
ing. Men and women are
beginning to look more and more
alike when it comes to the effect of
their performance on child care,
and employers depend on strong
families more than they used to.”

Because employers depend on
a stable workforce, says Emlen,
child care support enables firms to
recruit and keep different
categories of employees. How-
ever, that does not have to mean
huge additional expenses.
“Having policies that allow
flexibility in work schedules is not
expensive, but it is one of the most
effective and appreciated methods
of addressing child care needs.
Purchasing a service referral that
helps employees find the child
care that they’re looking for goes a
long way toward keeping good
employees.”

The notion of employer-sup-
ported child care appeals to Joe
and Maria Minter. Both feel that
having care services close by
would make it easier for them to
perform their jobs. “I feel it’s a
solution to the problem,” says
Maria. “The cost factor ($900 per
month for three children) would
be reduced enormously, and you
could check up on your kids
regularly if the day-care were on-
site.”

Joe says that concentrating on
his job would be easier to do. “It
would give me a sense of
security.” @

 

Kids at the office?
Babies in the boardroom?

m Not yet. But child care and other family issues
oe *¥¥ are important to supervisors who know the

wie of their employees. Johnson and Johnson, IBM, Corning --

big and small companies are all adapting to the new work-

family imperative. What is your organization doing?

Business Symposium

* Hear John Heldrich, Vice President Administration of the

Johnson and Johnson family of companies, speak on

The Significance of Work/Family Initiatives in Corporate
North America

 

¢ Leam the bottom-line costs and benefits of employer-
supported child care from local researchers and experts from
California and Oregon.

&l Vancouver June20 9am-4pm_ $350.00
US

 

 

 

Call 527-5479 for information cups
Symposium to offer practical solutions
for child care in the workplace

continued from page 5

harder for employees to balance these issues, and how this assessment
of needs translates into feasible things that companies can do without
losing their shirts,” he says.

Also featured at the symposium is keynote speaker John Heldrich,
Vice President (Administration) of the American giant Johnson &
Johnson. Heldrich will address the significance of work/ family issues
in North America.

The symposium is the culmination of a joint UBC/ Douglas College
research project into employer-supported child care. Research results
on employer attitudes and involvement will be released at the sym-
posium, but as project researcher Carol Ebner notes, this is not an
academic exercise. “Our guest speakers are powerful figures in the
corporate world. The research was done in the business community,
and that’s who will benefit from the results.”

An educational tour of UBC’s Child Study Centre will be part of the
proceedings, which project research co-ordinator Elva Reid sees as a
chance for business people to see what a child care centre looks like.
“The Centre acts as a model early child care setting, and the business
people will have a chance to see it. It’s an important part of the seminar,
and we'll have practical solutions to their questions,” she says. “We
want employers to realize that it’s very possible to understand and
provide quality child care.”

Topics discussed at the symposium will be valuable not only to
employers, but also to researchers, women’s groups, early childhood
educators, union representatives, and anyone who is interested in the
concept of employer-supported child care. The registration fee is $350.
For further information and registration, call 527-5487. @