One of the benefits offered by the Fortune Magazine, “Best Places to Work” companies is backup childcare. It is estimated that 80% of all workers need to work shortened workdays because their childcare or elder care arrangements fell through – costing employers billions of dollars per year in productivity losses. This is particularly a problem for law firms that are too small to offer the benefit but competing for employees with firms that do.

 

Starting today, a company called Workplace Options (www.workplaceoptions.com) now offers a backup care locator that allows participating employers to offer employees access to the largest online national database for childcare centers, adult day care centers, family day care homes and agencies that provide backup care. The database contains 20,000 providers. To access the service, participants contact the Workplace Options call center which is staffed 24/7.