From Amazon to Microsoft, and Home Depot to Wall Street, organizations across sectors are increasingly requiring employees to report to work in person. And it’s pushing many workers out the door, including disproportionate rates of women.

New research from Coworking Café found that about two-thirds of women surveyed would consider quitting if their employer rolled out a full-time, return-to-office mandate, nearly 10 percentage points higher than their male counterparts. That may, in part, be connected to the pervasive imbalance in childcare expectations for working women, highlighting an opportunity for HR to win the war for talent in a post-RTO world.

“As in-office demand increases, flexible, reliable childcare has become essential to workforce participation—rather than a supplemental benefit,” says Dan Figurski, president of KinderCare for Employers and Champions.

An evolving need for childcare benefits

The value of childcare benefits for working parents is clear: KinderCare’s recent research found that 85% of those surveyed view childcare support on par with healthcare and retirement benefits. More than half of survey respondents are actively looking for a new job that has better childcare benefits.

And RTO is having a direct impact on that trend, Figurski says. KinderCare has seen increased demand for employer-sponsored childcare, he notes, with the organization now partnering with more than 700 employers nationwide. Benefits range from on-site care—KinderCare operates 70 such employer-sponsored care centers—to tuition assistance, back-up care coverage, and before- and after-school programs.

As return-to-office surges, Figurski says leading-edge employers are recognizing that benefits like childcare programs help employers meet the needs of working parents.

“In a more office-centric environment,” he says, “employers who invest in childcare solutions will be better positioned to retain and attract talent.”

Navigating new talent risks

Return-to-office is amping up the pressure on working parents—and without meaningful support, the American workforce could continue to lose those contributors. KinderCare found that nearly three-quarters of those surveyed know someone who has left the workforce because of childcare struggles.

Half say they have personally missed work because of childcare issues and about a third have had to reduce their hours.

Almost 80% of those surveyed said they would feel more loyal to their employer if there were more childcare supports in place. Yet, only one-third of organizations whose employees were surveyed offer such benefits.

“Companies that fail to respond [to demand for childcare support] may see sustained talent gaps, weaker employer brand perception and diminished competitiveness in attracting working parents,” Figurski says.

HR can help their organizations avoid those risks by first focusing on education.

“Many workplace leaders are unaware of the economic impact supporting working parents with childcare can have on their bottom line,” he says, “making the incorporation of childcare benefits critical for overall business growth.”

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