Bengaluru Office Expands Childcare Services

On 8 March, Goldman Sachs Bengaluru tripled the capacity of its Children’s Centre, making it one of India’s top corporate childcare offerings in both quality and capacity.

Expanded to support many more parent employees at the firm, the Children’s Centre now has capacity to offer full-time and back-up care to 90 children, ages four months to four years. Managed by Bright Horizons, the centre is designed to support early childhood development. The facility includes an outdoor play area and is open from 8am to 8pm, hours that exceed most of India’s other daycare options.

“Retaining our people is essential to the firm’s success and we maintain an undivided focus on supporting them, especially through life and professional transitions. The expanded childcare centre will help our parents successfully navigate the challenges they face when returning to work after the birth of a child”, says Grant Eldred, managing director, Human Capital Management, India.

Goldman Sachs stands out among its peers by going beyond full-time care and offering back-up childcare free of cost to all employees for up to 20 days a year per child. Parents who may occasionally not be able to utilise their regular daycare arrangements can use the centre as an alternative.

“Calling the centre a daycare is an understatement. It goes way beyond other facilities in India - the education and quality of care children receive is unmatched,” says one father.

“As the office in Bengaluru has grown in size and sophistication, we have also expanded our commitment to providing our people with best-in-class facilities and services," says Bunty Bohra, chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs Services in India. "A state-of-the-art Children's Centre is one of several investments made to ensure our firm is the most inclusive in the industry."

The Children’s Centre complements the firm’s comprehensive Maternity Management Programme (MMP) in India. Launched in 2015, the programme manifests the firm’s belief in going beyond the provision of maternity leave by supporting expecting and new mothers through a holistic service designed to assist them during pregnancy, parenthood and their transition to work following maternity leave.

“The Children’s Centre has played a vital role in my success,” says a mother who has used the centre for three years. “I have recently been promoted to vice president and one of the contributing factors to my consistent performance is the firm-provided support services”.