The effects of workplace social support are mixed. On-site child care appears
to have little effect on either family or organizational functioning, although a
link between employer-provided child care and decreased turnover has been
demonstrated. That employer-provided child care does not affect absenteeism,
depression, or work/family conflict is somewhat surprising. The clearest ad-
vantage of on-site child care is the increase in the availability of child care; but
the quality, hours of operation, and cost of on-site child care may not be substantially different than for off-site care. Further, even slots in on-site child-care
centers may be limited, meaning spaces may not be available for all employees
seeking care. These problems likely limit the effectiveness of on-site child
care. However, evidence suggests that informal social support, in the form of
sympathetic supervisors, does have positive effects on employees, decreasing
symptoms of health problems and work/family conflict.