American clothing company Patagonia self-describes as a business that cares about families. And judging by the benefits and support structure in place for employees, we agree!
As described in her latest book, Family Business, Patognia co-founder Marlinda Chousinard notes that building a child care facility over 30 years ago was not only the right thing to do for employees and working parents, but also for the workplace and business overall.
And employees are taking note. In a recent essay, CEO Ross Marcario remarks, “the presence of the children transforms the workplace into a community for all employees. The kids and their laugher are reminders that it is the purpose of work to honor our human our business responsibilities.”
Parents no longer have to choose between paying bills and spending time with their kids. On-site child care means parents can be productive and share their time with their child whether it is at lunch time or in the middle of the afternoon. Additionally, Patgonia has found that happy employees equals low employee turnover. In fact, the company has reported that nearly all employees return to work after a standard parental leave – a direct result of such family-friendly policies.
Learn how on-site child care benefits business and families by watching Raising the Business Case and Patagonia Support Paid Leave at patgonia.com/familybusiness.