Opinion
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OpinionThe Shared Parental Leave and Pay (Bereavement) Bill and the Paternity Leave (Bereavement) Act 2024
On 6 December 2023, the Shared Parental Leave and Pay (Bereavement) Bill was introduced to the House of Commons as a Private Member’s Bill by Chris Elmore, a Labour MP, with support from Darren Henry, a Conservative MP. It enjoyed the support of the government and across ...
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OpinionKaren Hartmann: How can employers incorporate family life into the workplace?
Business reaps rewards with family-friendly policies and more women at work.The good news is that the growing proportion of women in the labour force since 2019 has added around $1.5 trillion to global income, according to Moody’s published research.The disappointing news is that despite progress in recent decades, the participation ...
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OpinionCharlotte Watmore: How can employers incorporate family life into the workplace?
At Wates, we reimagine places for people to thrive and that applies as much to our workplaces and employees as it does to the buildings we create.As the UK’s leading family-owned development, building, and property maintenance company, it is important to us that our family values are reflected in how ...
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OpinionRachel Gothard: How can employers incorporate family life into the workplace?
Supporting our colleagues' family lives is a cornerstone of our values at Meallmore. We understand that fostering a balanced and inclusive work environment not only benefits our employees but also enhances the quality of care we provide to our residents.This commitment was recently reflected in our celebration of a successful ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Solving the summer holiday childcare conundrum
The school summer holidays: a time that can incite both excitement and dread among working parents. Like so many others, this week I embarked on the juggle that this time of year so frequently involves.As well as experiencing guilt at working (along with a serious fear of missing out) while ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Watching the Labour government bed in
We are now just over a week on from the Labour party storming to victory in the UK’s general election. The last time the UK moved to a Labour government after a period of Conservative rule, I was still at school and remember teachers trying to explain the significance of ...
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OpinionJulian Outen: Tips on parental and carers' leave law for employers
As of 6 April, draft regulations extend further the current right of employees on maternity, adoption and shared parental leave who are at risk of redundancy, to be offered suitable available employment in preference to other employees who are also at risk, but not on such leave.The protection will apply ...
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OpinionRachel Webb Wiles: How to manage shared parental leave
We have all heard of shared parental leave (SPL), but should employers be encouraging employees to take it or is it just a headache for the business?SPL was designed to address the gender imbalance in care giving and to give parents more choice and flexibility in their child’s first year. ...
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OpinionLisa Hand: Will the government’s childcare measures open up potential talent pools for employers?
Any progress with support for working parents is welcomed, but we need to go further, in particular to support women who want to maintain their career, or return to work, alongside raising their family. Competition for talent has never been so fierce and with the increasing presence of AI and ...
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OpinionRosie Woods: Will the government’s childcare measures open up potential talent pools for employers?
Credit: Scott Mains-Ingrained.co.ukThe [extended hours childcare] initiative is great on one level, but if the ultimate goal is to get more parents back to work, it solves only a third of the problem.The scheme gives 'free hours' but in most instances, it acts as a subsidy within the nursery system ...
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OpinionBen Gorner: New protections for primary carers in employment
April marks both World Parkinson's Day (11 April) and Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week (22-28 April), two conditions that over time will often require those suffering to receive significant care. It may well be that those caring for affected people are family members also in employment, so how can employers ensure ...
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OpinionSarah Bogues: How to become a fertility-friendly employer
Employers play a critical role in the fertility journey of their employees. When employers get it right, the loyalty they can cultivate among their staff is immense. As the Fertility Treatment (Employment Rights) Bill makes its way through Parliament, it is an opportune time for employers to reassess their approach ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Will affordable childcare ever be available to all?
The lack of affordable childcare in the UK won’t be news to anyone. This month, however, it has made news headlines once again when the first stage in the government’s plans towards making this more affordable was rolled out.From 1 January, parents have been able to apply for a code ...
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OpinionElla Bond: The effects of a tribunal about dismissal regarding returning to office
In the legal case Follows v Nationwide Building Society, an employee was awarded almost £350,000 in compensation after successfully claiming unfair dismissal and indirect disability discrimination by association. The case serves as a stark reminder for employers to exercise caution when imposing mandates for employees to return to the office, ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Should the Flexible Working Bill go further?
When the Flexible Working Bill received Royal Assent last week, many commentators, particularly parental rights campaigners, hailed this as a huge step forward.In a nutshell, the new legislation makes several changes to the way flexible working requests will work in practice, including:Giving employees the right to make two flexible working ...
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OpinionMartin Williams: Amazon’s term-time contracts come with a new set of problems
The idea proposed by Amazon to offer contracts that revolve around term-time working is an interesting one. At first glance it can seem generous, allowing a degree of flexibility for workers who find school holidays a difficult time to balance work and childcare.However, Amazon is not being totally altruistic. It ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Who is caring for unpaid carers?
How many employees in your organisation have unpaid care responsibilities? Between 2010 and 2020, more than 1.9 million people in paid employment became unpaid carers each year, according to Census data. One in seven carers, meanwhile, juggle work and care, according to Carers UK’s report State of caring, published in ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Extending support for neonatal care
The birth of a child can be life changing. Having the time to adjust to new family dynamics and get to know their newborn is, therefore, vital for new parents. However, not every pregnancy and birth goes as parents envision.Every year, more than 90,000 babies are cared for in neonatal ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Should the office be the default working environment?
The working-from-home debate was reignited this week following Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s comments that the office should be the default location for workers, unless they have good reason to work from home.Speaking at the British Chambers of Commerce conference, Hunt said that despite the exciting opportunities offered by working from home, ...
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OpinionJoanna Powis and Alison Heaton: Is a four-day week the future of work?
Coming out of the pandemic, there has been an increased focus on work-life balance, mental health and wellbeing, and employers’ roles in supporting staff on these fronts. Employers in some industries have also seen a talent war emerge as they find it harder to recruit and retain the best employees.These ...