CenturyLink, technology and communication solutions provider, has partnered with Care.com to offer its employees a suite of family care benefits.
The benefits include subsidized backup care for children and adults; premium membership to Care.com to access services for children, seniors, pets, and the home; and personalized senior care support and guidance from Care@Work’s team of Masters-level social workers and experts.
“We’re constantly looking for ways to help our employees manage the things that are really important to them outside of work,” says Stephanie Calhoun, the vice president of talent management at CenturyLink. “Nobody wants to spend a day at work stressed about outside things like backup child care or an ill parent.”
Over 70% of working Americans are caring for a child, parent or other senior member of their family, according to data from a Harvard Business School report. Caregiver responsibilities can be taxing and stressful, and negatively impact their work. Indeed, 57% of caregivers need medical care or support for their own mental health condition, according to an Embracing Carers survey.
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“CenturyLink is really invested in benefit equity – wanting to have as broad an impact as possible,” says Scott Healy, executive vice president and general manager for Care@Work. “They’re really reflective of a trend we’re seeing across all industries, from retailers and grocery retailers to tech and professional services, of extending meaningful benefits to the entire workforce and not just corporate employees.”
The majority of employers are behind in recognizing the need for employer-provided backup child, adult and senior care options. Only 4% of employers offer backup child care services and only 2% offer backup elder care, according to data from the Society for Human Resource Management.
“There is a blended experience in the work environment now and people are juggling more priorities,” Calhoun says. “For us, [this benefit] really helps our people with all their day-to-day demands and outside stressors, like backup child care or dealing with an aging parent, so it doesn’t impact them at work.”
