Backup Care is an employer-subsidized benefit that helps employees find care on those days when their regular care is unavailable—a child becomes ill, the regular caregiver cancels, schools close for the holidays, or other caregiving gaps for children, adults and pets arise. By helping employees fill gaps in care so they can get to work, employers see a 30% decrease in absenteeism and save on lost productivity.
So how does Backup Care work—and what do employers need to know? As with any benefit, no two plans are alike, so it’s important to understand your options. Here are best practices for making Backup Care work in your organization–and maximizing your investment.
How Backup Care Works for Employers
Employers have choices when it comes to Backup Care. The best Backup Care programs offer flexile programming that allow employers to configure the program to their unique business objectives. This is typically done during the implementation phase where you will be asked to make decisions around the following key program components:
- Coverage: Backup Care is not just for children. Most programs today also include Adult Backup Care to help working caregivers fill gaps in care for older loved ones—and the option to offer pet backup care. When determining coverage for your organization, keep in mind that employers who provide broader coverage–for children, adults, and pets—typically see better results and deliver a more equitable solution that better meets the needs of their workforce, not just those with young children.
- Number of Backup Care Days: Employers typically purchase a bank of backup care days to be used by their organization—and then determine how many days each employee is eligible to use per year. While 10 days per employee is the industry average, your Backup Care provider should be able to recommend a bank of days that works best for your organization based on your size, industry, and demographics. Many programs include options to increase the bank as needed–or to add additional days to accommodate certain employee populations. Care for Business, for example, allows employees to allocate additional “infant care days” to help new parents transition back to work.
- Employee Co-Pays: Co-pays for Backup Care are determined by the employer with guidance from the Backup Care provider. Co-pays are typically a small hourly or daily fee, paid by the employee once the day of care has been completed. Employers have the flexibility to customize their co-pay to support their workforce, sometimes offering tiered copays based on salary bands.
- Reimbursement options: Some Backup Care programs offer reimbursement to employees who use caregivers from their own personal network—such as a family member or a favorite center, camp or sitter—for backup care. This agnostic model provides employees with more choice in who they use for care, providing them with added peace of mind to get to work. The best Backup Care programs offer reimbursement programs that allow the employer to determine usage policies and reimbursement amounts—empowering the employer to make decisions that work best for their organization.
How Backup Care Works for Employees
Once you launch Backup Care, your employees can use it anytime their regular care is unavailable and they need to work. While the user experience will vary depending on the Backup Care provider you choose, with Care for Business Backup Care, for example, employees can:
- Easily request care by app, web, and phone 24/7
- Book care with network providers, including in-home caregivers and child care centers—for a low employee daily co-pay.
- Get reimbursed for care delivered outside of the network–with a center, camp, family member, friend, or caregiver of their choice.
Want to learn more about Backup Care and how it can help your organization reduce absenteeism and increase productivity? Request a demo.
