All Benefits for carers articles – Page 88
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Analysis
Supporting staff with caring responsibilities is good for business
Building on new legislation to offer support to staff with caring responsibilities can have numerous business benefits for employers, says Vicki TaylorNever before has there been such a great focus on employees’ caring responsibilities outside of the workplace. While the right to request flexible working has existed for working parents ...
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Analysis
Supporting carers can be good for business
Employers are coming under increasing pressure from all quarters to offer flexible working to staff, says Amanda Wilkinson, editor of Employee Benefits. The green lobby believes it will help ease congestion, while new legislation in the form of the Work and Families Act 2006 is imposing extra duties on companies ...
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Case Studies
Herts county council supports staff with caring responsibilities
Hertfordshire County Council has offered a range of support services and benefits for employees with caring responsibilities since 2002.It is already ahead of the requirements due to be brought in by the Work and Families Act in April as it allows all staff to request to work flexibly.Other support tools ...
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Article
Lack of flexible working disadvantages mothers
The limited numbers of employers offering flexible working hours is contributing to significant employment disadvantages for women, particularly mothers.The Equalities Review's final report, Fairness and Freedom, published today, has said that despite more women than ever being in employment and achieving higher educational qualifications, there are still obstacles in their ...
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Article
Acas settles on childcare vouchers
Acas, the organisation that aims to prevent and resolve workplace disputes, has launched childcare vouchers and a bikes-for-work scheme in response to staff requests. Gill Cook, reward manager, said it expects a take up of between 2%-3% for the childcare voucher scheme.
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Article
The backlash to benefits for working parents
This article is brought to you by Accor Childcare Vouchers.Lynne Currer, product manager - Childcare Vouchers at Accor Services considers the growing resentment towards family-specific benefits and advises employers on managing the backlashThe cost of a typical full-time nursery place in England has increased by more than 27 per cent ...
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Article
HM Revenue pilots childcare calculator
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is piloting an online calculator to help employees ascertain if they will be better off financially by taking child tax credits, or childcare vouchers offered by their employer. Its calculations are based on how many children employees have parental responsibilities for, how many hours they ...
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Article
Olswang offers staff care support
Law firm Olswang introduced a subsidised emergency eldercare and childcare service last month.Employees who have registered for the service are able to request an emergency nanny, childminder or place at a local nursery either online or by phone at any time until the morning the emergency care is required.Employees who ...
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Article
Charteris launches childcare vouchers
Charteris has launched a childcare voucher scheme this month following employee requests for the perk.The professional services firm has also added details about the benefit to its online platform, which was launched last October.The company is now assessing the options available to it around flexible and voluntary benefits schemes.Barry Hoffman, ...
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Article
Do parents know the real value of employer supported childcare?
This article is brought to you by Accor Childcare Vouchers.Childcare Vouchers are the most popular form of employer supported childcare in the UK, and with a tax and NI exemption of up to £55 per week, parents can save up to £1,195 per year on the cost of their childcare.But ...
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Article
HM Revenue & Customs launches childcare vouchers
This article is brought to you by Accor Childcare Vouchers.HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has launched a scheme to provide its 100,000 staff across the UK with Accor Services Childcare Vouchers.Employees have a choice of either paper or electronic vouchers and access to a helpline for emergency childcare in case ...
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Article
Mitie launches childcare vouchers
Facilities, engineering and property services provider Mitie has launched a childcare voucher scheme for its 40,000 employees.The paper and electronic vouchers, which are offered through a salary sacrifice arrangement and are provided by Accor, are intended to give staff with children benefits suited to their needs..Paul McGuiness, group HR manager, ...
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Case Studies
PricewaterhouseCoopers has introduced a pilot emergency childcare system
Professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers introduced a pilot emergency childcare scheme for staff in five of its offices in May 2006. The pilot, which is running for an initial 12-month period, provides staff in London, Birmingham and the East Midlands, Manchester and Edinburgh with access to five free days of emergency ...
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Analysis
Emergency childcare: the options
Emergency childcare can have tangible benefits for both employers and staff, explains Vicki TaylorArticle in fullEmergency childcare is one of those perks where the advantages are just as tangible for employers, if not more so, than for employees.The services that can be offered to staff range from providing childcare at ...
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Analysis
New flexible working laws
Benefits SurgeryEmployer's query: I've heard that there are new rights coming in to request flexible working, what will our obligations be?Since April 2003, the parents of children under the age of six years (or 18 years if disabled) have had the right to request to work flexibly to enable them ...
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Analysis
Do childcare vouchers work for all parents?
Fuelled by expemptions within the 2004 Budget and a furhter lifting of the cap up to £55 a week, Jamin Robertson asks if childcare vouchers are having growing pains.Article in fullTwo years ago the childcare voucher market was buzzing as organisations clamoured to take advantage of new tax efficiencies that ...
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Case Studies
Childcare on offer at Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK tested childcare vouchers on a pilot group of 12 staff in April 2005 after the tax and national insurance exemption on vouchers up to £50 a week was introduced. The tax-exempt limit has since been raised to £55 and the charity now offers the benefit to all ...
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Case Studies
John Lewis Partnership offers childcare to staff
The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has offered childcare vouchers since April 2005. It has recently added a feedback facility for the scheme to its intranet for John Lewis and Waitrose staff.Gill Bowler, implementation manager of benefits projects at the partnership, says the feedback forum has revealed that employees are generally ...
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Analysis
Where's the sacrifice if everybody wins?
Childcare vouchers and bikes for work are standard benefits offered through salary sacrifice, but there are plenty more perks that deliver tax and NI savings, says Jamin RobertsonArticle in fullFor employers operating in a tight labour market, the thought of asking employees to take a pay cut might be considered ...
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Case Studies
BSkyB opts for outsourced admin
Case study: BSkyBBSkyB launched its salary sacrifice scheme, Sky Choices, in March 2005. It offers 11,000 employees a home computing scheme, bicycles and childcare vouchers.Dev Raval, group head of reward, started by considering two options - a one-stop shop provider that could perform the admin for the whole scheme and ...