Childcare for Employees and Clients

Subject: Request to conduct research and report on on-site childcare for employees and clients

Summary

I work at a brokerage firm where we largely work with military families. We set up these families to help them achieve financial freedom and success. Working with military members means having an unpredictable schedule. There may be times when one member of the family is deployed, and the other member may now have to bring their kids[NG1]  to an appointment in our office. As a mom myself, the thought of having to bring my kid to an appointment serves as a deterrent to new clients as well as a lack of engagement from current clients. To better the value of our clients and employees, I would like permission to conduct research on on-site childcare for employees and clients when coming in for appointments.

What the problem is and why it needs to be investigated

The problem we are facing as a company is the lack of a family-friendly environment. Working with military members means the entire package, the partners, and the kids. When a single parent or a family going through a deployment is asked to come into the office to meet with an advisor, they are forced with making it work during working hours, find a sitter, or risk bringing them in and trying to pay attention to the meeting while distracted. Lack of childcare also affects the employees. If a client can only come in after working hours, now the employee must also work out childcare to conduct the meeting. There have been several times when employees have had to even come in on the weekends. Bringing in on-site childcare would make our firm more family-friendly for clients and employees, potentially encouraging new clients to come in while also allowing the employees to conduct business at any hour fitting for the client’s schedule.

Second, becoming a financial advisor is very time-consuming. It takes many hours and years to build a clientele and develop relationships to grow your[NG2]  business. Work means sacrificing time with family and the expense of childcare for client meetings. Because of the rigorous schedule, there is a high turnover of employees. It doesn’t [NG3] reflect well on the company when clients develop a relationship with an advisor and then must get turned over to a different one.

Secondary research you will conduct:

The secondary research I have conducted all comes back to improvement in productivity, morale, and reduced employee turnover.  Studies show that when an employee does not have to rush to and from a daycare facility, they are more likely to be on time, more productive, and stay later because they do not have to rush to daycare to pick up their child. Even scholars support the concept that company childcare centers result in a decreased turnover and increased engagement, and the company recoups most of its money for its centers through tax refunds. Further studies suggest that childcare issues are mostly the reason that employers are late or absent from work.

Benefits of your research and your report’s recommendations:

On-site childcare widens the window in which we can conduct business. The more time spent gaining client relationships, the more business the firm gets, the more commission the employee gets, and another military family is one step closer to financial success. Family first becomes a new core value to our brand which would increase client and employee retention and hiring. When employees feel valued, they work harder, have a better attitude, and stay there. When a client knows we value the member as well as their family, they want to be a part of that. On-site childcare may seem like a small slice of the pie, but it will change the way we can do business and will unlock an entirely new group of families that never felt like they would have the time to receive the resources to help them achieve financial success.

On-site childcare could be held by appointment only. Childcare managed by appointments would help save costs of wages as well as keep all hours of needed care available. For example, if one employee and their client need care for a three-hour appointment in the morning and then another appointment at 9 pm that same day, appointment-only care would prevent unnecessary childcare operation hours when it wasn’t needed. There would be several personnel on the books as childcare providers when needed; like substitute teachers in the education world.

Conclusion

The military community is growing. The dynamics of military families are always changing. Showing them that we understand and can accommodate their ever-changing lifestyle, shows our clients that we do truly care about them and that will instill a sense of pride in our First Command employees. Not only will on-site childcare reduce the stress of time management and expenses for the employee, but it will also boost morale, productivity, and retention. With your permission, I would like to conduct research and write a report on on-site childcare in the workplace.

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 [NG1]Slang, avoid causal language like this.

 [NG2]Avoid the 2nd person.

 [NG3]Spell out contractions, unless quoting.