All Benefits for carers articles – Page 32
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ArticleSir Robert McAlpine introduces enhanced family-friendly benefits
Building and civil engineering organisation Sir Robert McAlpine has introduced a new set of family-friendly policies, aimed at offering better gender parity, as well as flexibility for working carers.Following a successful pilot, the new initiatives came into force from March 2020; they form part of the organisation's goal to be ...
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ArticleWates Group overhauls family-friendly benefits for 4,000 employees
Family-owned construction organisation Wates Group has announced a complete overhaul of the family-friendly policies offered to its 4,000 employees.From 1 May 2020, the organisation will commit to making a number of significant changes including: increasing paternity and partner leave to eight weeks at full pay; increasing maternity leave to 26 ...
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ArticleChipotle enhances paid parental leave for restaurant support centre employees
US-based fast food restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill has enhanced its paid parental leave benefits, to support new working parents.On 6 March, Chipotle announced that starting in 2020, it plans to increase paid parental leave for restaurant support centre employees, providing 12 weeks for mothers, and four weeks for new ...
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OpinionPhillip Richardson: Jack’s Law - new parental bereavement leave rules
The introduction of Jack’s Law means parents who lose a child under the age of 18 have a statutory right to a minimum of two weeks paid time off work, irrespective of how long they have worked for an employer. The UK is the first country to offer this right. ...
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ArticleMatthew Potter: Should the UK follow Finland’s lead with equal parental leave?
Finland’s new government recently introduced legislation seeking to provide a level playing field for working parents. In light of growing calls for gender equality, the UK government is now also facing pressures to evaluate current laws and consider whether changes are required to encourage working fathers to take leave.Employees in ...
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ArticleKelly Metcalfe: Should the UK follow Finland's lead with equal parental leave?
Many UK organisations still have a considerable gender pay gap which favours men. This becomes increasingly pronounced in the technology sector, where women are under-represented at both the leadership and technical or sales levels. Instead, women often find themselves more heavily concentrated in certain functions and roles such as marketing ...
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ArticleLevi Strauss and Co offers new paid family leave benefit
Levi Strauss and Co has announced a new paid family leave benefit for all U.S corporate and benefits-eligible retail employees.The new policy, available from 28 February, provides employees at the clothing manufacturer with the opportunity to take up to eight weeks of paid time off a year to care for ...
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ArticleJane van Zyl: Should the UK follow Finland's lead with equal parental leave?
In July 2019, former prime minister Theresa May threw the gauntlet down to her successor before leaving Number 10, by announcing a wide-ranging review of the UK’s parental leave and pay policies. She lay the blame for the UK’s gender pay gap squarely on the division of childcare, stating that ...
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ArticleMatt Creagh: Should the UK follow Finland's lead with equal parental leave?
Earlier this month, the Finnish government announced plans to give all parents the same parental leave, in a push to get fathers to spend more time with their children.The UK system falls well short of this egalitarian model. Fathers and partners in the UK are only entitled to two weeks ...
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ArticleShared parental pay claims refused leave to appeal by Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has refused leave to appeal in two joint cases, Ali v Capita and Hextall v Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police, concerning claims of discrimination in relation to shared parental leave allowances. In May 2019, the Court of Appeal published the decision that failure to pay enhanced shared ...
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ArticlePhoenix Group recognised as exemplary carer-positive employer in Scotland
Pensions consolidator Phoenix Group has been recognised by non-profit organisation Carer Positive, operated by Carers Scotland, as an exemplary carer-positive employer in Scotland. The award, announced today (11 February 2020) demonstrates the support that Phoenix Group provides for working parents within its organisation. Phoenix Group was awarded the ‘exemplary’ level ...
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ArticleFinland to equalise parental leave allowances
Finland’s government will equalise all parental leave, regardless of gender, to give working fathers more time to spend with their children and to promote gender equality. As a result of this reform, which will come into force in 2021 at the earliest, both parents will receive a quota of 164 ...
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Case StudiesBW uses benefits to attract top talent in competitive industry
There is a war for talent in construction; a lack of skilled individuals entering the industry, means organisations are fighting for the top people. For building fit-out and refurbishment organisation BW, winning this war means offering a valued and attractive employee proposition.Penny Cresswell, head of HR at BW, says: “As ...
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OpinionPaula Bailey: Planned employment law changes in 2020
2020 is set to be another year of change from an employment law perspective, with contracts, the employment relationship and pay likely to continue to dominate the agenda, together with the new immigration requirements that the government plans to introduce post-Brexit.We have already seen a number of interesting Employment Tribunal ...
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ArticleUnum increases adoption assistance to $25,000
Employee benefits provider Unum has increased the assistance it offers to its 9,400 US employees when adopting a child.From this month, the organisation will provide a one-off payment of £25,000 (£19,103) to help cover the cost of adoption for employees. The average cost of adoption from foster care in the ...
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ArticleStonegate Pub Company enhances parental pay and benefits
Stonegate Pub Company has enhanced its maternity, paternity and adoption package for its 14,500 employees. All salaried employees are now entitled to enhanced maternity and adoption pay, comprising 12 week's full pay followed by 27 weeks of statutory pay. The organisation has also enhanced its paternity provision to two weeks ...
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ArticleParental bereavement leave legislation to be introduced in the UK in April 2020
The UK government has announced that April 2020 will see the implementation of new legislation providing two weeks of paid leave for working parents who suffer the loss of a child.The Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Regulations, known as ‘Jacks Law’ in memory of Jack Herd, whose mother campaigned on ...
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OpinionKim Field: Employers must go above and beyond with inclusive benefits for carers
There is no doubt that maternity leave has progressed. Employed new mothers can take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave, and 39 weeks of statutory maternity pay. However, polices around paternity leave are lagging, with fathers and same-sex partners only able to take two weeks of leave. This archaic ...
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ArticleKPMG employees use volunteer days to raise £1 million for NSPCC
As of January 2020, UK-based employees of professional services firm KPMG have used the organisation's volunteering leave policy to help raise £1 million for staff charity the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).KPMG staff are allocated six days per year to use for volunteering purposes; in ...
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ArticleUnicef UK equalises parental leave for 300 employees
Unicef UK has equalised parental leave for its 300 employees, with the aim of acknowledging and supporting the equal role of each caregiver, and adding to the legal provisions within the UK.The new policy, which came into effect on 1 January 2020, also looks to shift the focus of caregiving ...