Working parents

How employers can go further to support employees after childbirth

Traditionally, baby bonding leave consists of time and money. The amount of time and money depends on the company policy of course and employers have been praised when they increase these.

Childcare in the UK becoming less affordable and reliable

The percentage of parents with children aged 0 to 4 who find it difficult to pay for childcare has increased from under a quarter in 2021 (24%) to around a third (32%) in 2022, according to new...

Could term-time working be a positive solution for both employers and parents?

It is that time of year again when children are eagerly awaiting the long summer break from school and many working parents are faced with the nightmare of both trying to find suitable holiday...

How should HR support employees with postpartum depression? 

According to the World Health Organisation, almost one in five women will experience a mental health condition during pregnancy or in the year after the birth of their children.  

Flexible work gives working parents confidence to progress

Working parents’ confidence in their ability to progress has grown thanks to the spread of flexible work, according to new research.

Working parents warned to prepare for teachers’ strike

After an overwhelming vote for strike action by teachers, schools in England and Wales will close for seven days in February and March meaning working parents will have to arrange alternative...

Single parent employment rate reaches six year low

The employment rate for lone parents in the UK dropped to 66.4% between April and June 2022, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Childcare staffing crisis demands flexibility from employers

A staffing crisis in UK nurseries and spiralling costs of childcare has meant half (51%) of parents have been unable to meet their summer childcare needs.

More than a million key worker children to reach poverty in 2023

The number of children living in poverty in key worker households could reach 1.1 million by 2023, according to research from the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

A four-day working week is great for some, but not for all

Iceland, Belgium, and now the UK. Four-day working week trials are becoming increasingly popular as we start to challenge the rigid five-day working week that we have embraced for decades. These...

New mothers' rights in the workplace – everything you need to know

On Mother’s Day it is important to not only celebrate all the hard work and care that mothers do, but also to draw attention to the many hurdles they still face in today’s society, and how they can be...

Single-mother pensions dropping rapidly post pandemic

The average value of a pension fund for a single mother in the UK has dropped by 40% since the start of the pandemic.