Highlights
- Deutsche Bank's child care center is the first to offer both full-service and emergency care within a workplace nursery in the City of London.
- The bank has taken ideas from grass roots and evolved its programmes in response to employees' needs and suggestions.
- Deutsche Bank's Family Network provides an information exchange around such diverse topics as teenage safety, reading and numeracy, surviving the toddler years, dependant care, and home maintenance.
Leading its sector in 'the square mile,? Deutsche Bank has developed a wide range of work/life programmes to support its employees and their families. Starting with informal seminars and discussion breakfasts, the bank has taken ideas from grass roots and evolved its programmes in response to employees' needs and suggestions.
Family in the Workplace
Deutsche Bank's thriving Family Network, established in 2005, provides a support structure and information exchange around such diverse topics as teenage safety, reading and numeracy, surviving the toddler years, dependant care, and home maintenance. The bank's child care benefits include childcare vouchers, flexible working, emergency child care, and now a dedicated workplace nursery. Launched in the Autumn of 2006, the facility is the first to offer both full-service and emergency care within a workplace nursery in the City of London. Feedback from families shows this is a very popular benefit, impacting positively on employee morale and productivity, and providing value for both employer and employee in terms of tax efficiency. Bright Horizons was delighted to co-host a breakfast event with Deutsche Bank to share with representatives of peer organisations the bank's experience of creating a family-friendly workplace. The bank also highlighted how this has benefited employees and business.
Why Bright Horizons
Deutsche Bank's Chief Operating Officer, Human Resources, Mark Heyes, outlined the development of their child care provision over the past five years; explained why Bright Horizons Family Solutions was chosen as the bank's child care partner to manage the nursery; and also stressed the tax efficiency of workplace nursery provision. Pamela Hutchinson, Head of Diversity, Human Resources, and Roselyne Renel, Managing Director, Global Head, Emerging Markets, Risk and Capital Management, shared the history of the bank's Family Network, of which Roselyne is Chairperson, and illustrated how the family-friendly policies complement the organisation's Corporate Responsibility Programmes. Sarah Jackson, Chief Executive of Working Families, applauded Deutsche Bank's contributions towards improving the work/life balance of its employees, stressing the importance of real choices for all working families in today's businesses. Attendees were also taken to tour the workplace nursery, to see the quality of the facility, the range of activities provided for children, and the warm relationships between families and staff. The morning was a great success, promoting many questions and discussions between hosts and the invited representatives of organisations such as Ernst & Young, SEI, Capital One, and Bank of America. Typical feedback following the event showed that hearing the bank's story first-hand and seeing the nursery had inspired many attendees to set up family networks or look more closely at dependant care provision.
Feedback
Last word to the working parents from Deutsche Bank who shared their experiences of being supported in a family-friendly environment:
'As a mother of 2 in a demanding job, the back-up facility is convenient, flexible, and relieves stress of having to find emergency care? 'The location 10 minutes from my office gives my husband and I the flexibility to pick him up when needed which is invaluable in this environment? 'Apart from the significant financial savings we have comfort knowing that our little girl is in capable and experienced hands? 'As a single mother the savings from the nursery really go a long way to making things easier? 'The range of benefits that are available to use have made it easy for me to get on with everyday tasks. The peace of mind that each benefit has given to myself and my family has been invaluable.?
