UK 
United States
In today’s evolving workplace, supporting working parents and carers is no longer a perk - it’s a strategic necessity.
That’s why each year Bright Horizons, a leading provider of employer-sponsored care, workplace nurseries, and family support services, goes straight to the source – its own clients’ employees - to reveal what today’s working parents and carers truly need from their employers.
Based on feedback from almost 2,000 employees across nearly 200 client organisations, the Work+Family Snapshot 2025 collates these frontline perspectives and delivers a clear line of sight on what working families need most, how they’re using existing supports, what’s changing in their expectations, and ROI for family friendly initiatives.
Who Should Read It?
HR Directors, Benefits Specialists, Reward Strategists, and People and Culture Champions at organisations of any size, especially those looking to make the case for investment in family support.
Whether you’re already offering workplace nurseries, Back-Up Care or other family-focused benefits, or you’re just beginning to explore ways to help parents and carers juggle responsibilities, this report gives you the strategic context you need.
What’s Inside?
1. Megatrends Across Leading Employers
This year’s edition explores four urgent business priorities, or “megatrends”, focusing on where demand is growing, which solutions deliver the strongest ROI, and how your peers are responding.
Costs & Productivity: How care solutions such as Backup Care reduce absenteeism and improve performance.
Return to Office: How family support boosts attendance, focus and engagement for employees navigating hybrid and office-based work.
Talent Retention: Why family benefits are now a critical part of a compelling Employee Value Proposition.
Mental Health: How supporting the wider family helps reduce employee stress and supports holistic wellbeing.
2. Benchmarking Against the Wider Workforce
Crucially, the report also compares these findings with national benchmarks drawn from Bright Horizons’ Modern Families Index, providing employers with an opportunity to see how their employee experience might stack up against the wider UK workforce. This dual perspective helps you pinpoint where you’re ahead, and where you could be doing more.
3. Building Your Business Case
From board level briefs to budget proposals, you’ll find concise, at a glance summaries that translate survey insights into compelling arguments for investment, whether that’s expanding your Back-Up Care offering, launching flexible working pilots or begin exploring workplace nurseries.
Why It Matters
As organisations grapple with the “new normal” of hybrid and in office work, and as competition for talent stiffens, family support is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s a strategic imperative that drives productivity, loyalty and mental wellbeing. The Work+Family Snapshot 2025 cuts through the noise to give you actionable, evidence based direction on where to focus your efforts, and how to prove their value.
Download the Report
For any organisation looking to attract, retain and engage working parents and carers, the Work+Family Snapshot 2025 is essential reading.
