Taking Care of Working Families A Top Priority For HR Leaders As More Than 90 percent Say They Added New Family Benefits During The COVID-19 Outbreak

SAN FRANCISCO, March 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey released today by Cleo, the support system for working families, found that 93 percent of human resource professionals say their company is providing new additional family benefits to its employees during the COVID-19 outbreak. At the same time, 75 percent are considering adding additional benefits according to the new survey findings. The survey, commissioned by Cleo and conducted by Wakefield Research, surveyed 500 HR and benefits leaders in large enterprise organizations between March 18 and March 20 in order to explore how HR leaders are investing in family benefits during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

"The impact of COVID-19 has been profound in every part of our economy and workforce. HR leaders are actively adding benefits to support the unique needs of working families, especially the 41 million US families today that have two working parents," said Sarahjane Sacchetti, CEO of Cleo. "We're honored to be partnering with many of the country's best places to work in ensuring their family populations get the added support they need right now."

Providing flexibility and employee well-being were top of mind for HR professionals. More than 50 percent of those surveyed have added family benefits that support working parents with children, such as expert guides and live coaches. Of those who indicated they are looking to add even more benefits, family benefits that support working parents with children, such as expert guides and live coaches was on the top of their wish list. The survey uncovered that gaps in in-person care were also top-of-mind for HR professionals with most worried about senior citizens (69 percent) as well as parents with young families (64 percent). 

"Hospital policies are in flux, and we're seeing everything from 'business as usual' to total bans on partners in the birth room," said Chitra Akileswaran, MD, MBA, Cleo's Chief Medical Officer and co-founder. "Cleo is focused on delivering evidence-based guidance and services to expecting parents and parents of infants on a range of topics including how to manage a changing birth plan, virtual lactation support and postpartum depression screening. Our team's passion led us to revamp our app with crucial information and open up this critical information to the world through open access to our COVID-19 Support Center, which includes our newly-launched series of live Q&As and webinars."

Delivering New Services & Expert Support To Address COVID-19
To help support the most vulnerable members that Cleo serves, expecting parents and parents of newborns, Cleo offers one-on-one Family Guide support in planning for birth and postpartum, as well as real-time answers to questions about newborn care and parenting. In response to the closure of community-based in-person breastfeeding and childbirth prep classes, Cleo has launched virtual group classes for any of our expectant families. All members already have access to our core offerings of virtual lactation support post-birth and a postpartum Family Guide check-ins. Additionally members can message their dedicated guides 24/7 to help get answers to their questions whenever they want.

In response to a 10-fold increase of inbound messages from our families, Cleo has launched COVID-19-specific content on our app and updates it daily with the latest evidence-based resources and information. The in-app content has been developed to provide insights for all families, including folks trying to get pregnant, expecting parents, parents of newborns, families with young children and managers who are now supervising teams remotely. Members receive fresh, dynamic content in real-time based on the most up-to-date information from the CDC, medical professional organizations and our health care partners. 

COVID-19 Support Center Open To All
The recently launched COVID-19 Support Center extends Cleo's evidence-based content and resources to the general public. Cleo has developed content addressing concerns about COVID-19's impact on expecting parents, parents of newborns and families with young children. Sample topics being addressed daily include:

• COVID-19's impact on new parents and babies
• How to manage a changing birth plan in a changing environment
• Impacts on mental health and Postpartum Anxiety and Depression
• COVID-19's impact on your children, including the latest insights on health risks
• How to make working from home successful (and keep yourself sane)

Lastly, Cleo's Chief Medical Officer and co-founder, Dr. Chitra Akileswaran and our Cleo Expert Guide team, which includes board certified nurse midwives, birth and postpartum doulas, lactation consultants, registered nurses, parent coaches, child/infant sleep specialists, developmental psychologists, and career coaches, are hosting Live Q&As for the public on a wide range of topics including "Birth In The Time Of COVID-19." The series will run through April and discusses how to support managers and employers, working parents with young children, those trying to get pregnant or receiving fertility treatment, and new and expecting parents during this unprecedented time.

About Cleo
Cleo is the support system for working families. With its integrated family benefits platform, Cleo combines proactive, expert guidance with an intuitive engagement hub to help working parents confidently manage every stage of their family's journey. From fertility to parenthood to return-to-work and beyond – Cleo families are healthier, happier, and more engaged as they balance their roles at home and at work. Supporting families in 55 countries and implemented by over 100 enterprise clients – Cleo is reinventing how forward-thinking employers support families that work around the world.

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Cleo is backed by NEA, Greylock Partners, Felicis Ventures, and Forerunner Ventures. Learn more at hicleo.com.

CONTACT:
Kenneth Shuman
VP of Communications
415-517-7211

SOURCE Cleo

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