Re:locate magazine | Employee Support | Childcare | Making relocation a child friendly zone

Relocatees often face life in a completely unfamiliar town, region or country, and those with children may find the lack of previous networks of friends and family a particularly daunting prospect. Offering practical ideas and systems of childcare to people with families could be of great comfort and value, and be the defining point of a successful relocation.

Almost 40% of the UK workforce are parents, and many struggle with juggling responsibilities to families with obligations at work. A flexible, family-friendly workplace, coupled with support for childcare costs, is a two-pronged solution to this problem.

MI6 is one high profile employer that now uses flexible working and childcare vouchers to attract a new generation of James (and Jane) Bonds.

‘With extensive tax-breaks available from the government, you don’t have to be in the intelligence service to realise that helping staff with childcare is a smart choice for today’s employer,’ said Emma Knights, Joint-Chief Executive of the Daycare Trust.

Getting up to speed with the range of incentives available from the government to encourage employers to offer help with childcare costs can help in the retention of relocatees. Costs incurred will usually be outweighed or balanced by reductions in National Insurance Contributions.

A cost-benefit analysis undertaken by Daycare Trust showed that employers could save up to 12.8% per employee in National Insurance Contributions, by helping them with eligible childcare costs. Yet only 2.5% of employers in the UK are doing so. Meanwhile, fees for one child at nursery amount to over £150 a week.

People are the most valued asset of any organisation. Flexible working practices and support with childcare costs form a powerful package that will mark organisations as caring, modern employers, attracting and keeping the best employees.

Employers and relocation agents can make finding quality childcare easier by promoting the relevant local Children’s Information Service, who offers information about childcare providers in the area.

Running a workplace nursery is an alternative form of employer-supported childcare, but until recently it has only been an option for the largest employers. The Department of Education and Skills, however, recently announced £16.8m funding to help small and medium-sized businesses create workplace nurseries.

Help can also be offered by making a contract with a childcare provider and paying them on an employee’s behalf, or by giving the employee childcare vouchers.

Childcare vouchers and direct contracting of childcare providers can be paid for: as part of a flexible benefits package (where the staff member takes them instead of another benefit); as a salary sacrifice (the employee takes vouchers in place of part of their salary, but the voucher is free of tax and National Insurance Contributions); or in addition to salary.

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