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- Career breaks - a break
from employment with an organisation, usually following maternity
leave. The contract of employment ceases but the individual
and organisation remain in contact at agreed intervals. The
individual has a set amount of time (say 1, 3 or 5 years)
during which they can decide whether or not to return to work,
although their job may not always be held open Career breaks
are increasingly being opened up to all employees including
non-parents to facilitate personal development.
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- Childcare vouchers - these vouchers,
given, sold by employers to parents at a reduced cost or substituted
for a part of salary, enable working parents to save money
on childcare. As such, they are a good way of encouraging
staff retention, particularly among women returning from maternity
leave. The Government does not expect employers to pay National
Insurance on the vouchers thus enabling them to pass the 10%
saving on to their employees. Parents can buy each £10
voucher for £9 and can then spend the vouchers on any
form of legal childcare, including childminders, nurseries,
nannies, family relatives and out-of-school schemes for the
over 5’s.
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- Emergency leave
- employees have the right to take a reasonable period of
time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant,
such as a child, and not be dismissed or victimised for doing
so. The DTI document Family
emergency? Your right to time off (PL506) provides more
details.
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- Family-friendly - any policy or practice
deemed to help families spend more time together and/or enjoy
a better quality of life.
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- Improved maternity provisions - provisions
provided by the employer that are in excess of the statutory
minimum. Examples include higher pay whilst on maternity leave
or offering a ‘returnee’s bonus’.
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- On-site childcare facilities / On-site crèche
- the employer has a nursery or crèche at the
place of employment for staff with children. Such facilities
reduce time travelling to and from work, since parents don’t
have to drop off and pick up their children elsewhere, and
employees can visit their children at lunchtimes. Crèches
and nurseries save time and reduce anxiety in case of illness
or emergencies.
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- Parental leave - leave that parents
or adoptive parents (both men and women) can take by law to
care for their child after its arrival or adoption. Employers
must allow parents to take the statutory minimum length of
unpaid leave, but some offer enhanced provisions, such as
paid leave.
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- Term-time contracts - contractual
working hours are established during school terms only and
school holidays are not worked. Pay can be averaged out over
12 monthly instalments or paid only for time worked, i.e.
the employee does not receive pay during school holidays.
The contract of employment continues during school holidays.
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