Spain is renowned for its child-friendly environment. But perhaps surprisingly it is only recently that some companies have taken to providing kindergartens. We look at how children are coming to the workplace.

Out for the night at a restaurant you will often see parents with their toddlers or even babies late into the night, a sight which would be impossible to imagine in most northern European countries.

But come the next morning, many working parents will dash off to the office, leaving their children in the hands of a childminder, a relative or hurriedly dropping them off at the local guarderia or kindgarten.

It is a scene familiar to many professional parents across Spain; or it was until recently.

The idea of mixing work and children is not a new thing in Spain; as women worked more, guarderias sprang up across the country to look after their children, replacing the traditional role of grandparents.

What is quite new, though, are kindergartens in the workplace — something which is more and more common in Britain and the United States.

Slowly some larger companies have started providing kindergartens, helped by the Ministry of Work, which has its own too.

If companies set up a kindergarten in the workplace, or nearby, they often ask workers to contribute financially.

Others have asked a select group of specialised guarderias to step in and do the job for them.

So far, only two out of ten companies are doing this, but many companies are beginning to realise that it actually pays for them to provide this service.

Otherwise, the all-too-common problems caused by parents dropping off their kids, then getting stuck in traffic as they battle their way to work and finally arrive, late and flustered, actually cost many companies millions in lost hours and productivity.

Parents also might spend 12 hours at work – not uncommon working day in Spain - and arrive home exhausted after their children have gone to sleep.
 
It also affects children too.

Larger companies are starting to provide kindergartens

A recent study from the respected Spanish business school IESE in Madrid found 30 percent of students suffered some form of disruption in their studies because their parents have less time to spend with them.

Sandalio Gomez, author of the report, said: "This reduces free time, increases instability in relations between parents and the education of the children is going to be affected by the loss of communication between all parts of the family. This will mean the parents cannot give as much help with school work."

One of the first companies to bring children to work, by setting up a kindergarten, was the supermarket chain Mercadona.

The first guarderia in Sant Sadurni d'Anoia, Barcelona, was such a success that the company opened others in San Isidro, Alicante, Seville, Leon and Madrid.

Mercadona seems happy with the results. It said in a statement: "The system helps our employees to balance work and family and this is reflected in their work."

But it has not been so easy for other companies to do the same because of lack of space near their office or inconvenience.

So a number of companies have sprung up to fill this gap in the market, running kindergartens for employees of the client-companies.
 
Maria Pilar Casado, a mother-of-two who was working up to 16 hours a day, launched her own business with a partner after realising no companies provided kindergartens at work.

Work and Live now has a number of customers, among them the Ministry of Work, with others queuing up.

Casado says: "When women started to work more in Spain the birth-rate started to decrease a lot. There were more old people than children.

"We work more than people think in Spain, from 8am to 9pm at night in some cases.
Now people ask in job interviews about quality of life issues, like how much time we can spend with our families, whereas ten years ago they were too scared to mention this.

"My business partner and I were both pregnant two years ago and realised there was a need in the market."

Casado, who has two daughters, looks after children aged between 0-3. Her company suits the guarderia to the company's needs.

Two other companies, Mas bebes (more babies) and Iniziaguarderias (Star Guarderias) are fulfilling similar needs.

The children in most guarderias will start to learn English, play games and have siestas just a few hundred feet from their parents.

Miguel Angel Luna, a member of Iniziaguarderias, says some companies seem reluctant to start kindergartens at work because they think mothers will desert work to be with their children.

Another reasons, he believes, is social snobbery.

"Some managers don't want their children going to the same guarderia as the workers," says Angel Luna.

For the parents themselves, the experiment seems to be paying dividends.

Marina Suarez, who works at the Development Ministry, uses the government kindergarten for her daughter.

She says: "Before I had to get up early, leave my daughter in the (private) guarderia, return home, pick up the car, and arrive at a reasonable hour at work.

"Since there has been a guarderia at work, I get up later, take my daughter to the guarderia, spend more time with her and still arrive on time. Also I have the peace-of-mind knowing if she needs anything I am close at hand."

More information

Work and Live: www.workandlife.com
Mas Bebes: www.masbebes.com
Iniziaguarderias: www.iniziaguarderias.com 

First published August 2004, updated September 2005

[Copyright Expatica 2004]

Subject: Kindergartens at work; Living in Spain