As more executives call workers back to the office, employees are increasingly under pressure to figure out their childcare plans. HR leaders are often tasked with advocating for workers to get the benefits they need, but new data shows just how difficult it is to convince the C-suite. 

A staggering 78% of Fortune 500 HR leaders say they’ve had difficulty persuading the C-suite of the long-term investment benefits of providing childcare to employees, according to a new study from education facilitator Kindercare and market research company The Harris Poll. And although 85% of HR leaders say company office mandates have impacted child care benefits, budget constraints and uncertainty around employee needs remain the biggest barriers.

“Some CEOs are likely betting that all this pushback against returning to the office will die down, but I think this issue, childcare included, will certainly continue through 2025 and into 2026. Because people are still figuring out the effects of RTO, and companies that help their workers the most are going to succeed first,” Dan Figurski, president of KinderCare for Employers and Champions, tells Fortune.

The good news is that HR teams do generally believe in these benefits and their ability to make employees’ lives easier. The vast majority of HR leaders (83%) agree that child care benefits improve employee mental health, and (82%) believe it can offset the negative impacts of return-to-office mandates, the study found. 

“I think CEOs and C-suite executives need to add childcare to the conversation of returning to work, because we are bringing in a new workforce and for them, childcare needs to be one of the core benefits companies offer.”

That said there are clearly some disconnects between what HR wants and what the C-suite is willing to provide. When CHROs were asked during the study what they wish management understood about these benefits, 71% said that management doesn’t comprehend just how much quality child care boosts productivity for working parents, and another 70% wish they could remind managers that “employees have families,” the study notes.

But there are some important statistics that HR leaders can point to as a way of convincing C-suite leaders to provide employees with better child care benefit options. Top HR leaders and other company decision-makers (85%) say they understand that providing childcare benefits reduces employee turnover, and 86% generally agree that providing such can help in recruiting talent. To convince CEOs how important childcare benefits are, Figurski suggests HR leaders focus on the ramifications of not providing it, including increased turnover, and the ability to attract top talent. 

“Tell CEOs that if you want the best, brightest talent coming out of college, the workforce of tomorrow is going to require childcare if they have families.”

Brit Morse
brit.morse@fortune.com

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