All Benefits for carers articles – Page 71
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Case StudiesKaren Harrison, head cashier, values Withers’ employee benefits package
She used the cover for an operation to remove a cyst from her brain which was detected four years ago. “If I’d gone down the NHS route, it would have taken quite a while to get the surgery done, especially having just had a newborn baby, so it was really ...
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AnalysisFamily-friendly benefits for the school summer holidays
If you read nothing else, read this…Childcare vouchers are a popular family-friendly benefit that employers offer staff.Flexible working and discount vouchers can be equally valuable.Employers should ensure they do not discriminate against staff without children.But employers can offer considerable support to help them cope, and at relatively little cost.Childcare vouchers ...
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ArticleGovernment increases cap on tax-free childcare
The government has increased the cap of its tax-free childcare scheme so that working parents will be able to receive up to £2,000 per child, instead of the £1,200 that was previously proposed.In its Delivering tax-free childcare: the government’s response to the consultation on design and operation, the government also ...
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ArticleEmployer-supported childcare vouchers to be phased out
The employer-supported childcare voucher scheme will be closed to new entrants from autumn 2015, when the government’s new tax-free childcare scheme, previosuly announced in the 2013 Budget, takes effect.On 18 March, the government announced it will raise the costs cap to £2,000, up from the £1,200 that was previously proposed.It ...
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ArticleEmployer-supported childcare vouchers to go
In the Budget today, Chancellor George Osbourne has confirmed it will raise the costs cap on its tax-free childcare scheme to £2,000 as announced on 18 March.The childcare voucher scheme will continue to stay open, as long as an employee does not change employers, but it will be closed to ...
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ArticleTribunal rules post-natal depression dismissal not discriminatory
The Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that a dismissal for absence caused by post-natal depression after maternity leave is not discriminatory.The judgement relates to the case, Lyons v Jobcentre Plus, in which the former employee was dismissed after her maternity leave had ended because of long-term absence. She claimed ...
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ArticleGovernment publishes draft regulations on shared parental leave pay
The government has published draft regulations on shared parental leave pay.The draft regulations, which are part of the Children and Families Bill, will be laid before Parliament as part of a set of secondary legislation that will bring the new shared parental leave and pay system into effect.The regulations introduce ...
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ArticleMothers who use surrogates not entitled to maternity rights
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled that working mothers who have children by way of a surrogate are not entitled to maternity rights.The judgement resolves two earlier conflicting opinions from the Advocate General on the matter in the cases of Z v A Government Department ...
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ArticleEmployee Benefits / Towers Watson flexible benefits research 2014
Read the digital edition of the Employee Benefits / Towers Watson flexible benefits research 2014.The supplement includes the following articles:Paul Brown: Fit-for-purpose and well-communicated benefits engage staffClare Bettelley: Employee engagement drives flexible benefits growthEmployee Benefits Flexible benefits research 2014: Key findingsFlexible benefits most successful in optimising tax and NI savingsStaff ...
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Article86% of employers offer childcare vouchers via flexible benefits
This means that childcare vouchers are the perk that most employers offer, although this benefit does tend to see low take up among employees. Generally, tax-efficient benefits are commonly offered because of the income tax and national insurance (NI) savings (both for employers and employees) that these can bring. This ...
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ArticleEmergency eldercare fastest-growing flexible benefit
Currently, this benefit is offered by just 9% of respondents to the survey. However, a further 10% of the total sample plan to add it to their flex plans.Other predicted fast-growing benefits include salary sacrifice cars, gadget insurance and low-emission cars. These are all expected to be offered by double ...
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Article
Part-time working mums earn 22% less an hour
Mothers who work part-time earn 22% less an hour than women who work full-time, according to research by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).Its Childmind the gap: reforming childcare to support mothers into work report found the pay gap, which it has described as the ’motherhood pay penalty’, is ...
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Article
North Yorkshire County Council launches voluntary benefits plan
North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) has launched a voluntary benefits scheme.The scheme, Everybody Benefits, is available to the council’s 19,000 employees through a framework agreement.The online portal incorporates lifestyle discounts from provider Xexec, as well as childcare vouchers provided by Computershare Voucher Services, a bikes-for-work scheme provided by Cyclescheme and ...
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Case StudiesAtkins engineers a family-friendly environment for staff
Benefits offered by Atkins that are popular among working families include flexible working, extra holiday entitlement, childcare vouchers and informal employee assistance programmes, such as networks for working families to interact with each another. The organisation won Workingmums.co.uk’s Innovation in Flexible Working Award in December 2013, and was named top ...
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AnalysisWhat makes an organisation a family-friendly employer?
If you read nothing else, read this…Retail or leisure discounts help put money back into families’ pockets.Healthcare benefits, such as private medical insurance and health cash plans, may allow staff to extend cover to family members.Changes to the childcare vouchers scheme and shared parental leave, both coming into force in ...
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Article
31% of parents are not offered flexible working
Almost a third (31%) of respondents reported their employer does not offer flexible-working arrangements, according to research by charity Working Families.Its Time, health and the family research, which surveyed 1,037 male and female parents in full-time or part-time work and is sponsored by Bright Horizons, found that the education, retail ...
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Article
Shared parental leave could create issues
Under the new system, eligible working families will have more flexibility around how they can balance work and caring commitments. Parents will be able to be at home together or to work at different times and share the care of their child.The government also announced that the system will include: ...
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Article
DOD’s blog: Flexing part-time muscle
Reading the Evening Standard on Wednesday night an article caught my eye and caused me to sigh with relief.It appears that the London mayor, Boris Johnson, has announced that part-time season ticket loans will be available on London Transport from January 2015.I acknowledge that the whole world does not live ...
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Article
Imperial College launches emergency child and eldercare
Imperial College London has introduced an emergency child and eldercare service.University staff can now access emergency childcare, school holiday cover and backup adult and eldercare.The scheme, which is provided by My Family Care, is designed to provide staff with greater flexibility to manage their work and family responsibilities.The university will ...
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Article
Only 2% intend to scrap childcare vouchers
Only 2% of respondents intend to remove their existing childcare voucher offering prior to the introduction of the government’s proposed new scheme in 2015, according to research by Jelf Employee Benefits.Its research, which surveyed 132 employers, found that 75% of respondents would consider retaining their existing childcare voucher scheme post-2015.In ...