Lee Barbara C, Salzwedel Marsha A, Chyou Po-Huang, Liebman Amy K
a National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety , Marshfield , Wisconsin , USA.
b Marshfield Clinic Research Institute , Marshfield , Wisconsin , USA.
J Agromedicine. 2017;22(4):376-383. doi: 10.1080/1059924X.2017.1358230.
The goal of this project was to protect children while parents work in agriculture by improving off-farm services for children of migrant and seasonal farm workers. Large agricultural enterprises have policies forbidding children in the worksite. At the same time, their employees, who are trying to generate income, seek as many work hours as possible but often lack viable options for childcare services. As employers strive to increase their labor pool, and workers seek off-farm childcare, there is mutual interest in improving access to childcare services in agricultural regions dependent on large numbers of full-time and seasonal workers. This report describes the employers' perspectives on childcare needs of hired farm workers' families and their barriers and motivators to facilitating off-farm childcare services. Using descriptive survey research methodology, data were collected from a convenience sample of 102 agribusiness owners and Human Resource directors attending an agricultural conference regarding labor laws or personnel management. Results revealed significant differences for those companies employing more than 25 workers compared to their counterparts. Primary motivators for offering childcare as an employment benefit were improved employee morale, enhanced company reputation, and a more stable workforce. A major barrier was that half of large-scale enterprises lack guidance on how to provide childcare options for their workers. Survey results are being used to facilitate collaboration among employers, farm workers, and childcare providers to offer a safe, nurturing environment for children while their parents work in agriculture.
该项目的目标是通过改善为流动和季节性农场工人子女提供的非农业工作场所服务，在父母从事农业工作时保护儿童。大型农业企业有政策禁止儿童进入工作场所。与此同时，他们那些努力赚取收入的员工希望尽可能多地工作，但往往缺乏可行的儿童保育服务选择。随着雇主努力扩大劳动力队伍，工人寻求非农业工作场所的儿童保育服务，在依赖大量全职和季节性工人的农业地区，改善儿童保育服务的可及性存在共同利益。本报告描述了雇主对雇佣农场工人家庭儿童保育需求的看法，以及他们在促进非农业工作场所儿童保育服务方面的障碍和动机。使用描述性调查研究方法，从参加一次关于劳动法或人事管理的农业会议的102名农业综合企业主和人力资源总监的便利样本中收集了数据。结果显示，雇佣超过25名工人的公司与其他公司存在显著差异。将提供儿童保育作为一项就业福利的主要动机是提高员工士气、提升公司声誉以及拥有更稳定的劳动力队伍。一个主要障碍是，一半的大型企业缺乏关于如何为员工提供儿童保育选择的指导。调查结果正被用于促进雇主、农场工人和儿童保育提供者之间的合作，以便在父母从事农业工作时为儿童提供一个安全、有益的环境。
