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Regular work+family updates for
HR and diversity professionals.
The upcoming change to childcare vouchers
Let's start with childcare. Having children makes a career a whole lot more complicated. Traditionally, it was the mother who faced the work-family challenges but, these days fathers are increasingly in the mix as well. That's the good news...
The UK has some great quality childcare but the market is also ridiculously complicated and often difficult to access - which is the reason some enlightened employer support can make all the difference.
The future, though, does look vaguely promising
Replacing childcare vouchers with more money going straight into the hands of working parents is exactly the right thing to do. Parents want and deserve the ability to choose the right kind of childcare for them and their families. It will often be a mixture of the myriad nanny/nursery/grandparent/childminder options out there. At some point in 2016 the Govt. will provide a bit of clarity on how the new scheme will work, and businesses will need to start getting their heads round what the changes mean. It is good news but don't expect the transition from vouchers to be easy!
Gender-diverse leadership moves out of the headlines
Well not completely out of the headlines, but we'll hear slightly less from Lord Davies, Sheryl Sandberg et al... Half the brains in the world are female and yet businesses are run by white middle-aged men. That's been the major talking point of the last couple of years. But it's not just about leadership, it's about the pipeline. It's about making sure there are enough talented women who stay in the mix at our biggest and best businesses. 2016 will see a shift in focus from the headline numbers to the far more important layer of talent below - the management boards, the VPs and junior partners. About time, too
Work and life, and flexible working
The way we think about work and life and about what "flexible working" really means will continue to evolve. Have you seen how companies such as Netflix approach the whole work-life question? The perfect workplace of the future genuinely lets people run their careers and lives as they see fit, doing as much or as little of each as they want.
Flexibility is easy if you have a great culture
And great culture is easy if you're successful and profitable. That's OK for the small start-up with plenty of funding but it's a real challenge for more traditional employers coping in an ever changing world. It's not a challenge that HR can shy away from. The people who benefit most from being trusted to work in more agile ways are parents and carers. If you don't look after them then they will go off to find somewhere that does trust them to contribute without being chained to a desk.
And what about My Family Care?
We'll be a truly international business by the end of 2016. We're doing great things in the US with our partners at Care.com; we've opened up in Australia; and we're now actively supporting our clients in both Hong Kong and South Africa.
Handling the challenges of work+family globally
The truth is simple. Becoming a parent presents various challenges when you have a career. But how you handle those challenges - the questions you ask yourself and the conversations you have with your manager and your partner - are pretty much the same the world over. Providing fantastic support through that transition, is a challenge for employers everywhere. Our online coaching tools - for parents and for managers - continue to be best in class. The international versions arrive at the end of Quarter 1 and the level of support we can provide our clients outside the UK will continue to develop.
Our Work+Family Space
Meanwhile, back in Blighty, we've had a fantastic year. We now have close to 150 clients; 350,000 working parents and carers have access to our services; we processed 400,000 hours of Backup Care in 2015; and our NPS scored stayed above 85. The Work+Family Space is a great platform for anything an employer is doing in the family-friendly agenda.
We have a huge list of developments in the pipeline for 2016 (although Pet Care remains off the agenda, for now).
Ben Black
