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Company day nursery: schedules adapted to parents
The company nursery offers a number of advantages to young employed parents. One of the least negligible is certainly the large flexibility in terms of reception hours. “They close easily at 19-20 p.m., sometimes even a little later. In addition, more and more companies with atypical hours are setting up nurseries. An offer that does not exist on the public market ”, specifies Caroline Kovarski, general delegate of the FFEC. And contrary to what one might think, this “is not more restrictive for the child”, explains Laurence Rameau, specialist in early childhood. “If the staff is well organized and in sufficient number, that it provides sufficient rest time, individual time and not just collective time, a large working time is not a real problem for the little one. Juggling between several reception methods is not necessarily better ”.
Less parental leave suffered
Stop working due to lack of childcare, unfortunately it is frequent. For some, the company nursery is therefore a real godsend. Especially since compared to municipal nurseries, the waiting times to obtain a place are reduced. When the structure is located near the new mother’s office, this gives her the possibility of continuing to breastfeed if she wishes. “In general, company nurseries have a room provided for this purpose,” adds Catherine Boisseau Marsault.
New: network operation
To attract more customers, nursery businesses innovate. And today, the employer wishing to offer a reception structure to its employees is no longer obliged to build one on its premises. Private operators are creating nurseries throughout France which operate in a network. What’s more, for 2-3 years, these companies have entered into partnerships with municipal or associative nurseries in order to allow employers to reserve and buy places for the year in existing structures, located near the employees’ homes or on the way to work. “It’s really on a case-by-case basis. We are studying the files with the human resources department to best satisfy young parents, ”explains Caroline Kowarski. In France, the 1001 crèches de Babilou network is the largest. And what was the major drawback: long transport times with a toddler. The parent can have a company nursery next to their home.
Winning bet for the employer
The company nursery is beneficial for the employee but not only: the employer also benefits from it. In addition to benefiting from a “family friendly” image, he protects himself against turnover and unforeseen absences. Indeed, some companies offer emergency services. “For employees with a childminder, this allows them to have a fallback solution when the latter is absent. Employees are less concerned about complications related to childcare and are more able to concentrate, ”emphasizes Catherine Boisseau Marsault. Caroline Kowarski, general delegate of the FFEC * confirms this point: “the employees are much less stressed and more productive. Moreover, once companies have tested this system, they do not go back ”.
* French federation of nursery businesses