Search Results for: childcare

One in ten working mothers quit jobs because of childcare pressures

One in ten working mothers quit jobs because of childcare pressures

The ongoing challenges that come with balancing childcare with work have forced over 249,124 working mothers of children aged 4 or under to leave their employerThe ongoing challenges that come from balancing childcare with work have forced over 249,124 working mothers of children aged 4 or under to leave their employer due to a lack of childcare support, according to new research. The new report from Totaljobs and the Fawcett Society, Paths to parenthood: Uplifting new mothers at work, claims to demonstrate the disproportionate impact childcare responsibilities have on women and their careers. More →

Half of working parents are using annual leave to cover summer childcare commitments

Half of working parents are using annual leave to cover summer childcare commitments

A new poll from IWG claims to highlight the challenges faced by working parents in managing childcare commitments during the summer holidaysA new poll from IWG claims to highlight the challenges faced by working parents in managing childcare commitments during the summer holidays. The survey of more than 1,000 working parents, suggests that almost two thirds (62 percent) find arranging childcare for the school summer holidays to be a significant source of stress. Consequently, over half (55 percent) use their annual leave to meet childcare responsibilities, whilst over 1 in 10 (12 percent) use their entire annual leave entitlement in the process. More →

Four in ten low income working parents have gone into debt to pay for childcare

Four in ten low income working parents have gone into debt to pay for childcare

The Working Families Index 2023: Spotlight on lower-income families reveals that many working parents on lower incomes are forced to go into debt, reduce their hours, or leave their jobs altogether due to problems affording and accessing childcareA new poll from Working Families in partnership with law firm Pinsent Masons, sets out to highlight the challenges that lower-income parents in the UK face as they balance work and caring for their children. The Working Families Index 2023: Spotlight on lower-income families reveals that many working parents on lower incomes are forced to go into debt, reduce their hours, or leave their jobs altogether due to problems affording and accessing childcare. The report also claims that working mothers on lower incomes take far less maternity leave than the UK average, and that working parents on lower incomes are often locked out of the flexible arrangements they desperately need to stay in work and earn vital income whilst balancing their childcare responsibilities. More →

Working from home can lead to fathers doing less childcare and mothers doing more

Working from home can lead to fathers doing less childcare and mothers doing more

working from homeAn analysis of survey data on 1,694 parents of young children found that working from home can result in a “traditional division of housework and childcare”, with men fearing they may lose their masculinity when taking on more routine tasks. Although the research, by Professor Heejung Chung, of the University of Kent, and Dr Cara Booker, University of Essex, uses data from 2010-16, they believe its conclusions are still valid now, at a time when the pandemic has greatly increased home working. More →

Parents are less productive when they feel childcare eats into work-time

Parents are less productive when they feel childcare eats into work-time

childcareParents who feel shame about childcare responsibilities eating into their work-time are less productive when they are working than those who do not feel ashamed, according to new research by Durham University Business School. More →

Summertime childcare juggling needs to be consigned to history

Summertime childcare juggling needs to be consigned to history

flexible working for dadsFor working parents, summertime is often a logistical nightmare. Six weeks of careful planning are needed to sort out childcare and ensure that both parents spend some quality time with their offspring. According to research from family activity app Hoop, over a quarter of parents of 5-16 year olds dread the summer holidays and here are some of the main reasons why. More →

Over half of men want to be more involved in childcare, major new report claims

Over half of men want to be more involved in childcare, major new report claims

More than half of men who have children or other caring responsibilities want to be more involved in childcare, a new study commissioned by Business in the Community, in partnership with Santander UK, has found. The Equal Lives research asked 10,225 UK parents for their views on work and care, and found that traditional gender roles in caring are seen as increasingly outdated, with 85 percent of men believing that they should be as involved as women in caring for their children.

More →

Lack of free childcare dissuades workers from shared parental leave

Lack of free childcare dissuades workers from shared parental leave 0

parental-leaveJust 5 percent of new fathers and 8 percent of new mothers have opted for Shared Parental Leave (SPL) since its introduction in April 2015 a new report claims. Just one organisation in five (21 percent) said they had received requests from male employees to take up SPL since April 2015 and in two-thirds (67 percent) of organisations with mothers eligible for SPL, none have opted in. This low take-up of (SPL) and the lack of affordable childcare options for parents with 0-2 year-olds are both major problems that need to be addressed to support working parents more effectively, according to ‘Labour Market Outlook: Focus on Working Parents’ from the CIPD. The survey of over 1,000 HR professionals also suggests that the lack of free childcare for 0-2 year-olds could be having a negative impact on women returning to work after maternity leave.

More →

Business association calls for action on high cost of childcare

Business association calls for action on high cost of childcare 0

childcareThe British Chambers of Commerce and Middlesex University, have published a new survey to gauge the opinion of business leaders on the cost and availability of childcare and its impact on the workforce. The survey of businesses claims that a third of firms (33 percent) regard the availability of childcare as a key issue in recruiting and retaining staff. The survey of more than 1,600 business leaders across the UK also claims that over a quarter (28 percent) of firms have seen a reduction of working hours by staff due to the cost of childcare, while nearly 1 in 10 (9 percent) have seen employees leave their business. Although the survey suggests that nearly 40 percent of businesses already view government plans to double the availability of free childcare next year as likely to have a positive impact on their business, the BCC is calling on government to go further. It says the administration should consider the costs and benefits of a universal entitlement up until school entry, which would help more firms retain and promote productive staff, and help working parents progress.

More →

Third of working parents struggle to find childcare during the summer

Third of working parents struggle to find childcare during the summer 0

Flexible working fatherThe summer can bring challenges for families and it seems the UK’s employees aren’t always that sympathetic. A new survey by Cotton Traders has found that almost a third of parents struggle to find childcare across the summer holidays (29 percent) and overall a quarter of parents have to take unpaid leave from work to cover childcare.  The survey of 1,500 UK adults also found that 36 percent find it difficult to get time off work in the summer to spend time with family; almost half of parents (48 percent) think that having a more flexible workplace would help with this; 29 percent of parents dread the summer holidays due to the stress of finding childcare and 26 percent of parents work from home during the school holidays to spend more time with their children.  There’s a lot of pressure on parents – 34 percent said that their children would be disappointed if they didn’t go on holiday abroad and 31 percent feel pressurised to do this.

More →

Lack of childcare common reason for staff absences in small businesses

Lack of childcare common reason for staff absences in small businesses 0

Office worker with sick childA new survey has found that a lack of childcare is a common reason for employee absence amongst SME employers, many of whom remain none the wiser as their absent member of staff prefers to ring in sick. The survey of 500 UK SME employees conducted by digital group risk insurer Ellipse, found that 22 percent have had to take a day off to look after their sick child, even when they are well themselves. It comes as the top reason for UK employees calling in sick with a further 6 per cent admitting to taking a day off to care for an elderly relative. With 24 per cent of employees believing that their employer doesn’t know about every sick day they’d taken, this suggests that employers are likely to be missing absence traits. This hypothesis is supported by a separate Ellipse survey of 250 SME managers, where 32 percent of employers admitted they don’t have a good enough process for recording absence.

More →

Average UK working parents now spend more on childcare than mortgages

© Family and Childcare Trust

© Family and Childcare Trust

Last month we questioned the financial wisdom of going to work for Britain’s working parents. Today the question became even more vexed as it emerged they typically pay childcare costs equivalent to over a quarter of the UK average salary. A report from the Family and Childcare Trust says that to have one child in a part-time nursery and another in an after school club would cost £7,549 each year. Not only does this represent 28 percent of the average salary of £26,500 and is more than an average mortgage which is £7,207 per annum. For those with full time childcare the costs are typically £11,700 per year. The report also notes that childcare costs have increased by over a quarter over the last five years and even the Government’s ongoing commitment to childcare is failing to alleviate the situation.

More →