Family well-being policies are highly profitable for companies, reveals IFC and Grupo Coppel study

Mexico City, February 17, 2025. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, presented the report "Promoting Family Well-being: Corporate Policies to Support Early Childhood. Case Study: Grupo Coppel," which analyzes how the implementation of family-friendly policies generates high profitability for organizations.

The study, developed by IFC in partnership with the Government of Japan, Grupo Coppel and Fundación Coppel, breaks down Grupo Coppel's business policies to support early childhood and caregivers in Mexico. Among these policies are the payment of 50% of tuition fees, the implementation of lactation rooms, and the provision of school supply kits, benefits designed to provide stability and development opportunities to employees and their children.

Juan Gonzalo Flores, IFC Country Manager for Mexico, highlighted that "a work environment that balances work and family responsibilities boosts productivity and improves the organizational climate of companies. Additionally, supporting early childhood helps break cycles of poverty and build more equitable societies, creating a more prepared workforce for the future."

A company that invests in the education and well-being of its employees and their families also invests in competitiveness and the future of its organization," concluded María Luisa Velasco, Director of Talent and Development at Grupo Coppel.

"Investment in family-friendly policies is an added value that benefits everyone: the company, employees and their families, and of course, it has an impact on our country," pointed out Rocío Abud, Director of Fundación Coppel.

Childcare and early childhood support policies allow women to increase their participation in the labor market, improve their productivity, and transition from the informal to the formal sector. It is estimated that 9 out of 10 people who leave the labor market in Mexico to perform caregiving tasks are women. According to World Bank data, investment in quality childcare services can generate a return of approximately USD $9 for every dollar invested.

IFC's research concludes that family-friendly policies improve the ability to attract and retain talent, institutional reputation, and organizational productivity, while making three recommendations for the private sector to follow:

1. Allocate resources to identify the childcare needs of employees.
2. Integrate a gender perspective into data analysis and indicators (calculation of caregiver turnover; number of people using maternity, paternity, and adoption leave disaggregated by gender; number of mothers and fathers remaining in the company after one year of taking leave).
3. Align policies and benefits with the corporate strategy.

Grupo Coppel is a Mexican company that employs more than 120,000 people and operates retail stores and financial services. In 2024, Grupo Coppel supported the education of 7,424 employees' children by paying 50% of their tuition fees, benefited women with 18 lactation rooms, and provided 37,806 school kits. "Investment in family-friendly policies is an added value that benefits everyone: the company, employees and their families, and of course, it has an impact on our country," pointed out Rocío Abud, Director of Fundación Coppel and Social Responsibility at Grupo Coppel.

Full study: https://www.ifc.org/content/dam/ifc/doc/2024/mexico2equal-coppel-case-study-EN.pdf

About Grupo Coppel

Grupo Coppel is a 100% Mexican business group founded in Culiacán, Sinaloa, consisting of Coppel stores, BanCoppel, and Afore Coppel. For over 80 years, its purpose has been to be the preferred omnichannel and personal and digital financial services store in the mass market, promoting access to a wide variety of useful, durable, and attractive products and services that meet the needs and desires of its customers and their families in all the communities where it operates.