Women in Business Fall 2017
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14 | WOMEN IN BUSINESS—FALL <strong>2017</strong> PUBLISHED BY BUSINESS IN VANCOUVER<br />
DAYCARE<br />
DILEMMA<br />
On-site child care is great for work<strong>in</strong>g mothers, but few workplaces take the step<br />
ADRIENNE TANNER<br />
Miriam Chaldeos, a caregiver<br />
at Ritchie Bros., child-care<br />
centre, sits <strong>in</strong> a rock<strong>in</strong>g chair<br />
with one of the babies at the<br />
centre while other toddlers<br />
enjoy a snack | RITCHIE BROS.<br />
In 2009, shortly after Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers moved <strong>in</strong>to its new<br />
build<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Burnaby, it did what many companies dream of but<br />
few manage: opened an on-site child-care centre. The decision<br />
arose from an employee survey ask<strong>in</strong>g what amenities they would<br />
most value <strong>in</strong> their new space, says Megumi Mizuno, the company’s<br />
director of human resources.<br />
When the question of child care was raised, the chorus<br />
was unanimous.<br />
“Overwhelm<strong>in</strong>gly, everyone said, ‘Oh my gosh, yes,’<br />
because you read the news. You hear about the lack of<br />
child-care spaces <strong>in</strong> the Lower Ma<strong>in</strong>land, so we knew<br />
it was a problem.”<br />
Mizuno had one young child herself and was comtemplat<strong>in</strong>g<br />
hav<strong>in</strong>g another. “Our CEO at the time had fairly<br />
young children as well. He said, ‘It’s the right th<strong>in</strong>g to<br />
do.’ So, we made it happen.”<br />
The spacious care centre – with its natural wood decor,<br />
floor-to-ceil<strong>in</strong>g w<strong>in</strong>dows and architecturally designed<br />
outdoor play spaces – was an <strong>in</strong>stant hit, particularly<br />
with women on staff. Not only did it relieve them of the<br />
search for quality child care, which sometimes prevents<br />
women from return<strong>in</strong>g to work, it also allowed them to<br />
check <strong>in</strong> on their children dur<strong>in</strong>g the day.<br />
“If you’ve come back to work and you’re still breastfeed<strong>in</strong>g<br />
you can pick up your child, breastfeed them and<br />
then br<strong>in</strong>g them back, so you don’t have to worry about<br />
th<strong>in</strong>gs like that,” Mizuno says.<br />
For Brandy Turner, director of corporate account<strong>in</strong>g<br />
for Ritchie Bros., the child-care centre provided peace