With the news that UK holiday childcare has gone up by 6% in the last year, many parents are struggling to balance work and childcare during the six-week break.
While annual leave entitlement in the UK is a minimum of 5.6 weeks, most schools have 13 weeks of holiday a year, leaving working parents with a serious conundrum.
With that in mind, Furniture At Work has put together a list of 10 useful tips to help parents balance work and childcare during the six-week holiday:
Request to work flexibly
Many jobs don’t have the flexibility to offer the option to work from home, but, for those that do, parents should investigate the possibility of increasing the number of days that they can work remotely. Many companies have set office days, but it’s worth speaking to your employer about temporarily decreasing your amount of office time to allow you to balance childcare with homeworking.
Change hours to work longer, but fewer, days
Another option is to request to temporarily change your contract to work longer hours, but fewer days. The average full-time worker is contracted to 37.5 hours per week, but employers are often flexible about how these hours are split. While 7.5 hours a day for five days is normal, working 9.4 hours a day for four days frees up an extra day when you don’t have to pay for childcare.
Weigh up the cost of unpaid parental leave versus paid childcare
With the increase in childcare prices, the cost can sometimes be more than a parent earns. In instances like this, parents in the UK who’ve been at their company for longer than a year can opt to use unpaid parental leave, of which they are entitled to four weeks per year.
Check eligibility for financial support
Another way to help alleviate the rising cost of childcare is to check your eligibility for financial support. Parents and guardians should look into Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit on the government website, to check whether or not they are eligible.
Make the most of the bank holiday week
Bank holidays in or around school holidays can be a godsend for parents, giving them a paid day off that doesn’t require childcare costs. If you’ve used up a lot of your annual leave or unpaid parental leave already, booking four days of annual leave immediately after the August bank holiday gives you nine consecutive days off work to spend with your children.
Look into working time back or frontloading hours
Another tip to consider is to request the option to work fewer hours during school holidays, with the option of frontloading the extra hours beforehand or agreeing to work back the additional hours afterwards when the kids are in school. While this isn’t something all employers will allow you to do, it’s certainly worth asking these kinds of questions.
Coordinate playdates with other working parents
If other parents you know have children of a similar age, you could coordinate playdates to allow you to share the amount of time off required between multiple households, thereby reducing the cost or annual leave requirement.
Research the range of childcare options available
While childcare has increased in cost, it’s still definitely worth “shopping around” to see what different options are available. The average weekly cost of childcare in England is currently £173 per child, and any savings, no matter how small, add up over the course of six weeks, especially for multiple children.
Use charity time off
Some employers offer paid charity leave to allow employees to engage in charity work and support their local communities. While taking a child to work isn’t an option for most people, taking them litter picking, gardening, or along to whatever other charitable activity you’re involved with could give them a fun and interesting task for the day and an important bonding experience for you both.
Speak to your employer and other parents
Ultimately, our top tip is to speak to your employer and other parents. Many people are facing the same issues you are, and your company will have experience supporting other members of staff with balancing work and childcare. There may be other options not mentioned here available to you, while speaking to other parents will also unlock new tips and recommendations.
If you feel like you need support or guidance being a working parent, don’t hesitate to use resources available and reach out to your manager for ways to maximise your time as a family in the summer holidays.
Check out the Furniture At Work blog to learn more about the importance of being supported in the workplace and other topics related to employee well-being.
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