All Benefits for carers articles – Page 35
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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 ...
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ArticleWNBA players receive enhanced maternity leave and 53% increase in pay
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) have reached an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. The new eight-year agreement was announced on 14 January 2020, will span from the 2020 season through to 2027, and will make significant improvements to compensation ...
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ArticleNationwide Building Society pilots return-to-work coaching programme for new mothers
Nationwide Building Society is piloting a new programme, provided by Return to Work, to give coaching to employees re-entering work following maternity leave, with a view to launching the scheme in full for its 17,000 employees later this year.This new programme enhances the benefits Nationwide already offers to working parents, ...
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ArticleHalf of UK parents say home working has increased their workload
Almost half (48%) of UK working parents say that working from home has actually increased their workload, according to research by Working Families and Bright Horizons.The 2020 Modern Families Index, which surveyed more than 3,000 UK parents, also revealed that 44% check their emails or do other work in ...
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ArticleTeesside University enhances parental leave benefits for 2,311 employees
Teesside University has made significant enhancements to its maternity, adoption and shared parental leave benefits, offering an additional 14 weeks at full pay, as part of its commitment to supporting the family life of its 2,311 employees. From 2020, all staff taking essential family leave will benefit from a longer ...
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ArticleAlmost nine in 10 informal carers receive no support from their employer
Of the 18% of UK employees providing unpaid care for someone close to them, 88% say that they receive no support from their employer, according to research by WeMa Care.The nationally representative survey of over 2,000 employees in the UK also found that only 18% felt their workplace culture enabled ...
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ArticleEXCLUSIVE: Only 16% of employers measure their gender pensions gap
EXCLUSIVE: Although employers are increasingly focused on closing the widely discussed and publicised gender pay gap, just 16% of respondents proactively measure the gender pensions gap in their organisation, according to research by Employee Benefits.While it is encouraging that some organisations are doing so, there is still a long way ...
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ArticleTwo in five employees have access to flexible working to manage pressure of Christmas
More than two-fifths of employees (44%) have access to support and flexible working at Christmas to help cope with the pressure of the festive season, according to research by Benenden Health. The research, which surveyed 1,000 small to medium enterprise (SME) business owners, and 1,000 employees, also found that almost ...
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Article74% feel employers should offer more flexible working hours for mothers
Almost three-quarters (74%) of mothers feel that employers should offer more flexible working hours, according to research by Now: Pensions.Its report, which surveyed 2,003 UK mothers who are employed, on maternal leave, or in full-time employment, also found that almost one-third (29%) have had to reduce their working hours due ...
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ArticleLinklaters enhances parental leave for UK employees
Law firm Linklaters is to enhance parental leave for its 2,500 UK employees, with plans to assess the suitability of an enhanced parental support package for its other offices and regions in 2020. The policy, which will come into effect from 1 January 2020, will see paid leave increase to ...
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AnalysisKey dates to incorporate into 2020 benefits strategy
Need to know:There are many awareness days that can be used as a framework for benefits strategy. Rather than choosing dates to focus on, though, employers should determine the important values for the business first.April 2020 will see key legislative changes that employers should also consider and prepare for.Some dates ...
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ArticleReckitt Benckiser enhances parental leave for 40,000 employees globally
Global health organisation Reckitt Benckiser (RB) has announced that it will be enhancing parental leave for its 40,000 employees.The new leave policy, which was announced on 3 December 2019, will be available to all staff except those based in the US, regardless of the number of hours an employee works, ...
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ArticleGwenda Burns: What should employers consider when planning fertility support?
In the UK alone, around three and a half million people are currently suffering from some kind of fertility problem, according to the NHS. Infertility has a wide range of causes, and there are many different treatments ranging from drug therapy to assisted conception.An employee may need to take some ...
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ArticleKirstie Axtens: What should employers consider when planning fertility support?
Infertility affects one in seven couples, according to the NHS, and research has shown that going through infertility takes a similar emotional toll to going through cancer. As employers focus increasingly on mental health and wellbeing, it is essential that they take practical steps to support staff seeking fertility treatment, ...
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ArticleLisa Finnegan: What should employers consider when planning fertility support?
Trying for a baby can feel like the most significant thing in a person’s life when they are right in the middle of it. The idea that we do this in isolation from our working lives is totally unrealistic, yet people still find it too difficult to talk to their ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Should employers publicly disclose parental leave policies?
Last week, parenting network Mumsnet called on FTSE 250 employers to publish their parental leave policies, after identifying that only 15 currently do so, despite the majority publicising details of other benefits they offer to staff.Why an organisation would choose not to publish details of its parental leave policies is ...
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ArticlePaul Hastings enhances parental leave for UK employees
Image credit: Jer123 / Shutterstock.comUS-owned law firm Paul Hastings has announced that it will be enhancing parental leave provisions for its 170 UK employees, to match the US policy that it launched in July 2019.The new leave offering, which was announced on 26 November 2019, will be effective from 1 ...