Seven in ten (70%) working parents feel they would benefit from more employer-led support with long-term childcare, according to research by Bright Horizons.
Its study of 1,500 working parents also found that a further 64% of respondents would like to see more benefits relating to back-up care and support for family emergencies, with a further two-fifths (44%) indicating that coaching would help them manage and balance their work and family life better.
More than half (53%) said that more flexible working would improve their productivity, with 58% believing it would increase their loyalty to the business.
Furthermore, almost two-thirds (63%) of respondents believe that their employer will be more open to remote working in the future, with almost half (48%) of employees considering asking their employer for some form of long-term remote or agile working. A further 55% of respondents want to spend no more than three days at their place of work.
However, 74% would not opt to reduce their hours.
Additionally, almost eight in ten (79%) indicated that greater flexibility and agile working would have a positive impact on their wellbeing.
Jennifer Liston-Smith, head of thought leadership at Bright Horizons, said: “Among other themes, this pandemic has shone a light on much good that restores our faith in our fellow human beings: there is further evidence here of huge resilience, determination, creativity, resourcefulness, honesty, care and even humour in the face of adversity. Among other takeaways, this underlines again the high integrity of this group, working parents, as a valued section of our workforce.”