The gift that gives back this Christmas

As part of their health and wellness initiatives, PayPal and Microsoft are giving staff something a little different this Christmas. They have teamed up with a provider of employer-sponsored childcare to hire and pay for babysitters.

The idea is to free up time so their employees can attend the holiday party or work during the break when their kids are off school.

PayPal and Microsoft are not the only companies doing this but are among the most well-known. Paying for a babysitter in an employee’s homes or at the hotel where the party is being held has been described as a game changer for employee benefits.

Not only is the office holiday party a social event but it is also seen as a good career move. Employees get the opportunity to network with executives they might not otherwise have access. It also shows that an employee is a team player.

Hiring babysitters to reduce employee stress, especially around the holiday season, is a growing trend as companies are recognise the need to integrate work and life. The lines between work and homelife are continuing to blur in the modern workplace.

While this trend is growing in the US, it hasn’t been introduced in Asia yet. One of the reasons could be that Asian countries tend to have a stronger family network with grandparents playing a more prominent role in caring for young children.