The challenges facing working families most acutely—while exacerbated by the pandemic—require more than temporary stopgap measures. They call for holistic support, which has always been our focus at Cleo.
Our most recent survey of working parents found that 50% of working families have had one or both parents leave or scale back their job in order to manage caregiving responsibilities. 18 months into the pandemic and 1 in 4 families are still without any access to child care, increasing the likelihood of further parental attrition.
In addition to a lack of child care, more and more parents are responsible for navigating some form of pediatric health concern, from chronic illness to mental health challenges, to neurodivergent conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD. Our survey found these parents at an increased risk for attrition as well.
As challenges compound for working families, further alienating them from work and career, employers run the risk of losing hard-fought ground in terms of diversity and inclusion.
Cleo was founded to fill critical gaps in our healthcare system and prioritize marginalized communities. We began with a focus on starting families. In 2020, we extended that support to parents with kids up to age 12 and introduced Cleo Marketplace, making access to a range of childcare and education benefits easier for employers and families alike. Now, we’re expanding our products and services even further to fill critical gaps in care that are only getting wider.
As we call on employers to invest in parents, we’re meeting the moment with new innovations for addressing child care and emergent family health challenges, and improving workplace culture.
As a working parent, Cleo’s mission is dear to my heart. Being effective at work while being a great parent feels impossible at many times, not just in this moment. Cleo has all the key components to resolve this dilemma and help parents better navigate their family’s care and health while bringing their best selves to work. Along with the many people at Cleo that make innovation possible, it’s my goal as VP of Product to provide the best solutions to families of all types, especially those most vulnerable.
I’m excited to announce new and evolved offerings that address parents’ current challenges head-on and drive value for working families and employers. Our new products and services have been developed in partnership with a diverse set of Fortune 50 companies to address the most urgent health, career, and retention issues they face.
Child Care and Enrichment Concierge Program
From finding a nanny or babysitter, to vetting and securing a place at a daycare or preschool, to tailored solutions for after-school, summer camp, or enrichment needs—no matter what an employee’s child care options and constraints may be, Cleo will piece together a personalized plan and help put it into action. With this new program, parents benefit from having the enormous burden of solving the child care puzzle lifted. And when combined with Cleo Marketplace, employers can tap into a range of child care services through a single provider for a seamless employee experience.
In the case an employer does not actively subsidize child care or have dedicated solutions in place, our program ensures Cleo Guides and specialists support families through a robust process to vet local options that best meet their individual needs. This program is currently available across the United States.
Expanded clinical support for high risk and urgent needs
A key pillar of Cleo support is our evidence-based programs designed to improve health outcomes. Programs like Best Birth, which helps steer members to high-quality providers and has resulted in a low-risk cesarean birth rate of 13.9% among Cleo members versus 26% nationally, provide meaningful outcomes for members and customers alike.
In response to parents’ needs, we’ve added support across new areas to help build greater resiliency so they can be there for their children, whatever developmental needs there may be. We’ve hired additional clinical providers to address a wider swath of health and parenting concerns. Cleo Guides are providing evidence-based navigation and support in response to family’s questions related to:
- Pediatric neurodivergence (e.g. Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD)
- Birth equity and culturally concordant support
- Pediatric gender identity exploration
- Perinatal mental health
- Parental burnout, resilience, and capacity building
As with existing clinical support programs, our newest offerings are designed by Cleo’s Clinical Team of experts to intervene and connect members to a higher level of specialist-led support for improved outcomes.
Cleo for Work
Borrowing from our expert guide model, Cleo for Work supports employers building a more inclusive, supportive workplace that prioritizes performance, engagement, and upward mobility of working parents. It offers timely and relevant insights, live training, and resources to HR leaders, managers, and employees to drive continuous improvement.
Cleo for Work also includes an annual cultural assessment that provides critical insight to employers about how culturally inclusive their companies are and how well their workplace supports families, along with benchmarking information to evaluate performance against similar size companies.
I’m inspired every day to reimagine whole family health for the better.
3 million women left their jobs last year during the pandemic, leaving us with only 57% women in the workforce—the lowest since 1988, according to the National Women’s Law Center. This created a major shift in employees’ attitudes towards work and the support they seek from employers. With the surge of employees quitting their jobs, the role of organizations and HR leaders in re-imaging benefits and employee support is critical. Cleo is here to help.