In August, workplace welfare schemes help parents balance work and family life

August is one of the most challenging months for families with young children. Schools and nurseries are closed, and many summer camps – which operate mainly between June and July – suspend or scale back their services precisely during the weeks when some parents are still working. For those who cannot rely on grandparents or other close family members, balancing work and childcare thus becomes a very real problem, the burden of which still falls largely on mothers.

This need has led to the launch of a service at the MAB & Co. Business Centre in Sestu, in the province of Cagliari, where, for three weeks in August, employees’ children can spend the day in a dedicated area, just a few metres from their parents’ offices.

The service, conceived by Giada Melis, co-founder and partner of MAB & Co. (and founder of the non-profit organisation ‘L’impresa è donna’, which provides free management training to female entrepreneurs throughout Italia), is open from 9 am to 4 pm and regularly accommodates up to ten children under the supervision of dedicated childcare workers. The area is organised into separate spaces for different age groups, with games and activities, as well as toilets suitable for young children.

“There are times of the year when the issue of work-life balance becomes particularly evident,” explains Melis, who is herself Greta Andrea’s mum. “August is one of them. Knowing that the children are nearby, in a dedicated space and looked after by a nursery teacher, allows parents to face their working day with greater peace of mind.”

The children’s area is also available at other times of the year, such as during school holidays, on special closure days and on certain days leading up to the Christmas and Easter holidays, when regular educational services are not available.