Employees' preference for the on-site childcare service: a case study of three Sri Lankan apparel firms
Purpose – Childcare is one of the main obstacles for women to enter the labour market as they are the primary caregivers for children. The struggle between childcare and women's employment has caused a high labour turnover in women-dominated industries. The aim of this study is to assess the em...
Main Authors: | , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Emerald Publishing
2022-11-01
|
Series: | Journal of Asian Business and Economic Studies |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JABES-12-2020-0142/full/pdf |
_version_ | 1797789102678999040 |
---|---|
author | B.M.A.M. Balasooriya Asankha Pallegedara |
author_facet | B.M.A.M. Balasooriya Asankha Pallegedara |
author_sort | B.M.A.M. Balasooriya |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Purpose – Childcare is one of the main obstacles for women to enter the labour market as they are the primary caregivers for children. The struggle between childcare and women's employment has caused a high labour turnover in women-dominated industries. The aim of this study is to assess the employees’ willingness for an on-site childcare facility Design/methodology/approach – The primary goal of this study was to assess the employees' willingness for an on-site childcare facility using the contingent valuation method. For the analysis, 330 data were collected from all levels of the employees in three firms in the apparel industry using a survey-based questionnaire. Findings – The results illustrate that the mean willingness to pay for the on-site childcare facility is substantially higher for the firm that already provide an on-site childcare facility than the other two firms that do not have childcare facilities. Among all employees who are surveyed, 86.36% of the employees favoured implementation of on-site childcare facilities. According to the survey findings, the newly hired employees have a higher preference for the childcare facility, however less likely to pay for the facility. The monthly income variable has a negative association with the probability of voting in favour of implementing on-site childcare facility. Moreover, the results indicate that the employees who have received the childcare facility have positive attitudes towards the on-site childcare facility. Originality/value – To the authors' knowledge, prior case studies related to the evaluation of employee's preference for on-site childcare services have not been conducted in the context of industries in Sri Lanka. Therefore, the findings and implications were discussed while expanding the geographical scope of the past literature. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:45:03Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-c91efb68aa284beea1469a82b7ec4ab4 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2515-964X |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-13T01:45:03Z |
publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
publisher | Emerald Publishing |
record_format | Article |
series | Journal of Asian Business and Economic Studies |
spelling | doaj.art-c91efb68aa284beea1469a82b7ec4ab42023-07-03T09:22:28ZengEmerald PublishingJournal of Asian Business and Economic Studies2515-964X2022-11-0129429931310.1108/JABES-12-2020-0142Employees' preference for the on-site childcare service: a case study of three Sri Lankan apparel firmsB.M.A.M. Balasooriya0Asankha Pallegedara1Department of Industrial Management, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Kuliyapitiya, Sri LankaDepartment of Industrial Management, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Kuliyapitiya, Sri LankaPurpose – Childcare is one of the main obstacles for women to enter the labour market as they are the primary caregivers for children. The struggle between childcare and women's employment has caused a high labour turnover in women-dominated industries. The aim of this study is to assess the employees’ willingness for an on-site childcare facility Design/methodology/approach – The primary goal of this study was to assess the employees' willingness for an on-site childcare facility using the contingent valuation method. For the analysis, 330 data were collected from all levels of the employees in three firms in the apparel industry using a survey-based questionnaire. Findings – The results illustrate that the mean willingness to pay for the on-site childcare facility is substantially higher for the firm that already provide an on-site childcare facility than the other two firms that do not have childcare facilities. Among all employees who are surveyed, 86.36% of the employees favoured implementation of on-site childcare facilities. According to the survey findings, the newly hired employees have a higher preference for the childcare facility, however less likely to pay for the facility. The monthly income variable has a negative association with the probability of voting in favour of implementing on-site childcare facility. Moreover, the results indicate that the employees who have received the childcare facility have positive attitudes towards the on-site childcare facility. Originality/value – To the authors' knowledge, prior case studies related to the evaluation of employee's preference for on-site childcare services have not been conducted in the context of industries in Sri Lanka. Therefore, the findings and implications were discussed while expanding the geographical scope of the past literature.https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JABES-12-2020-0142/full/pdfWomen employmentChildcareOn-site childcareWillingness to paySri LankaApparel industry |
spellingShingle | B.M.A.M. Balasooriya Asankha Pallegedara Employees' preference for the on-site childcare service: a case study of three Sri Lankan apparel firms Journal of Asian Business and Economic Studies Women employment Childcare On-site childcare Willingness to pay Sri Lanka Apparel industry |
title | Employees' preference for the on-site childcare service: a case study of three Sri Lankan apparel firms |
title_full | Employees' preference for the on-site childcare service: a case study of three Sri Lankan apparel firms |
title_fullStr | Employees' preference for the on-site childcare service: a case study of three Sri Lankan apparel firms |
title_full_unstemmed | Employees' preference for the on-site childcare service: a case study of three Sri Lankan apparel firms |
title_short | Employees' preference for the on-site childcare service: a case study of three Sri Lankan apparel firms |
title_sort | employees preference for the on site childcare service a case study of three sri lankan apparel firms |
topic | Women employment Childcare On-site childcare Willingness to pay Sri Lanka Apparel industry |
url | https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JABES-12-2020-0142/full/pdf |
work_keys_str_mv | AT bmambalasooriya employeespreferencefortheonsitechildcareserviceacasestudyofthreesrilankanapparelfirms AT asankhapallegedara employeespreferencefortheonsitechildcareserviceacasestudyofthreesrilankanapparelfirms |