Why Companies Love Grandparents! ……and why they are doing everything to keep them.
You’ve heard of maternity leave, of course……There’s also paternity leave for fathers……And now there’s GRANDternity leave for grandparents! More companies are offering it as a way to retain older, skilled workers! They’re hoping that special paid time off for new grandparents will keep them from retiring or moving on to another employer.
The tech company Cisco, the consulting firm Mercer, and the hiring platform HireVue are among the companies that offer it. And the time off can range from a couple days to a few weeks.
So why now? Well, according to the Wall Street Journal, it’s because we’re in a tight labor market, where there are more than 10-million open jobs in the U.S. alone. And businesses don’t want their most experienced workers walking out the door.
The data shows, companies have never had this many older workers before. People are retiring later – if they ever retire……and the average age of first-time grandparents is now down to age 47!
Other workplace benefits for grandparents? Some companies have started letting grandchildren of employees attend on-site day cares……and others are offering part-time opportunities for grandparents who want to keep working with a less intense schedule – instead of losing them altogether.
SO……Would you take GrandTernity leave? Let me know: [email protected]
