A few days ago we raised the possibility of that the work centers incorporate day care centers for the workers' children and we asked your opinion about it. If we imagine the advantages that these kindergartens could entail, we only capture the reality recognized by those workers who enjoy them.
And, although few, exist. Today we talk about companies with kindergartens operating in Spain as a measure of work and family conciliation and that, among other issues, it can favor both the worker's productivity and the family relationship.
It seems, if not a solution, yes a good help, but it is still not extended because most of the population does not know or distrust the benefits of conciliation.
And is that studies show that promoting the balance between work and personal life has a zero cost for organizations and get committed, motivated and satisfied workers (which translates into less absenteeism, less turnover and more productivity).
In addition, it is possible that the children spend less time in the nursery, that we see them more frequently and be calmer and equality in the labor options of men and women is favored ... Let us see in which cases we bet on this measure.
Companies with childcare centers for workers' children
Mercadona, the supermarket chain that usually sets an example in this of reconciling, has opened a nursery with capacity for 82 babies and children in the logistics center it has in Barcelona. This initiative will also be implemented in other centers that the company plans to open in Madrid, Alicante, Seville and León.
He Santander Central Hispano Bank It has located a large nursery school in the Financial City, in Boadilla del Monte (Madrid), to group all its headquarters in the capital of Spain (Santander Group City). It will be the largest company nursery in Europe and an international benchmark. It will have capacity for four hundred babies and children between three months and three years of age and will have fifty professionals in the care of the little ones. The downside: so young children have to go to the store. Wouldn't it be great if mothers of children under six months did not have to go to work because they enjoy a leave of absence? More than great, necessary, mandatory and paid, it should be.
In the ZAL (Logistics Activities Zone) of the Port of Barcelona There is a nursery school with seven educational classrooms and capacity for 106 children.
Other companies like El Pozo, Casa Tarradellas or Caja Madrid they have announced similar plans to reconcile work and family life or they already have daycare centers in some of their locations.
There are some temporary options, such as when school vacations take place and some work centers opt for the employees' children to be in a "playroom", cared for in the same work center.
Some time ago we talked about a nursery at a shopping center in Granada, for the children of the workers of the different companies that coexist in that center.
The Spanish Navy has opened in Ferrol the first nursery for the children of military and civil defense personnel.
Also the Public Administrations: some offices of the Tax Agency already have centers for babies and children of their employees.
Companies with kindergartens in other countries
While in Spain there are very few companies that choose to open these nursery schools for the children of workers (about 5%), in other countries such as United States, United Kingdom or Nordic countries, is a more common option.
In the North American country there are many companies, such as Bright Horizons, specialized in offering this type of services to work centers. In Spain we have found that Kidsco performs this same function, but there is a long way to go in order to achieve normalization or demand in other countries.
Of course, daycare centers do not represent a universal solution nor do they meet the needs of many fathers, mothers and children (or many small businesses, for example).
Therefore, we must facilitate and demand other measures of work and family conciliation, such as the necessary six-month leave for the mother, mandatory parental leave, hourly flexibility, ease of teleworking ...
But, as we see, companies with kindergartens, although still minorities, can be a reality. I wish, both for this and for so many other issues that concern conciliation, our politicians, businessmen, workers and society in general would be more involved.
Photos | redjar and Scott & Elaine van der Chijs on Flickr In Babies and more | Mercadona and conciliation, Supermarkets Masymas rewarded for reconciling personal and work life, Zara workers with reduced working hours report irregular dismissals
