40% of Hiring Decision-Makers Report Workers Have Left for Caregiving Responsibilities in Last Year

Only 30% Say Retaining Working Parents is a Top Company Priority

Despite recognizing the importance of retaining caregivers in the workforce, 40% of U.S. hiring decision-makers report employees have left their company since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to care for children or other family members. This is according to a new survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by Oxnard staffing agency, Express Employment Professionals.

Of those 40% who left companies for care obligations, 27% said it was for children, while 25% left to care for other family members. Substantial proportions say employees have changed their work schedule (37%) and/or reduced the number of hours they work (32%) due to family obligations.

Although the majority of U.S. hiring decision-makers (79%) believe their company is doing just the right amount to help employees balance work with caregiving responsibilities, more than 2 in 3 (68%) say their employees have expressed an interest in having them offer services to help balance caregiving responsibilities.

Notably, only 32% of U.S. hiring decision-makers say one of their company’s most important priorities right now is continually updating programs to accommodate employees who are caregivers, and a similar proportion (33%) say leadership being more flexible in accommodating employees’ schedules and needs will be a permanent effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When it comes to working parents specifically, more than 3 in 4 hiring decision-makers (78%) agree it is important to their company to nurture and grow working parent leaders within their organization. Still, only 30% say retaining working parents is one of the most important priorities for their company right now.

And, less than 2 in 5 (38%) say their company offers programs to help employees who are parents stay in the workplace; among those, the most common programs are flexible work schedules/flex-time (52%), telecommuting/remote work (44%) and/or employer-funded/subsidized childcare (36%).

There’s no doubt the last year has been especially challenging for caregivers, Express CEO Bill Stoller said.

Survey Methodology
The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of local Oxnard employment agency, Express Employment Professionals between Nov. 16 and Dec. 7, 2020, among 1,002 U.S. hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in the U.S. who are employed full-time or self-employed, work at companies with more than one employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data was weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

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Those who would like to arrange for an interview with Neil McMillan, call (805) 418-1111

About Express Employment Professionals
At Express Employment Professionals, they’re in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Their international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, employing 526,000 people globally in 2020. For more information, visit www.ExpressPros.com.

The Ventura County Express offices are located at 2371 East Vineyard Avenue, Oxnard CA, 93036 for the Oxnard office and 600 Hampshire Road Suite 100, Thousand Oaks CA, 91361 for the Thousand Oaks office and they serve all of Ventura County. Local businesses and applicants are encouraged to stop by, visit the website at Expresspros.com or call the offices: Oxnard 805-973-1870, Thousand Oaks 805-418-1111.

About Bill Stoller
William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the international staffing company has more than 830 franchises in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Since inception, Express has put more than 9 million people to work worldwide.