Iain Mcmath: The burden on parents

-

Last Monday (7th March), Sophie Raworth presented a documentary on BBC2 about the burden facing modern parents – and there was certainly enough in there to make working parents feel guilty.

In the programme, a number of academics sounded warnings about the downside of nursery care, and also warned that no matter how much parents try, many will still not be spending enough ‘quality time’ with their children.

It’s important to be realistic, however, and most working parents are simply not able to spend as much time as they’d like with their children. After all, providing money to pay the bills and put food on the table is also central to being a good parent –childminders and day-care are therefore an absolute necessity for many people.

Employers can actually do a great deal to help parents afford quality childcare during the hours that they’re working. Setting up a childcare voucher scheme, for example, can enable parents to save a significant amount of money every year.

HRreview Logo

Get our essential weekday HR news and updates.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Keep up with the latest in HR...
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Optin_date
This field is hidden when viewing the form

 

So, even though childcare might not always be the perfect option, at least having good quality cover will allow parents the peace of mind to know that their children are being cared for in a safe and nurturing environment.

Iain McMath, Managing Director, Sodexo Motivation Solutions

Iain joined Sodexo Motivation Solutions in August 2002 bringing eleven years commercial and marketing experience with him.

As Managing Director, Iain is responsible for the overall strategic direction of Sodexo Motivation Solutions, covering Employee Benefits, Incentive & Recognition and Public Benefits. He also oversees UK investment and development, and ensures the delivery of a high quality service.

Since taking up the position, Iain has played an important role in securing major contracts with high profile organisations such as the Home Office, and the launch of the SayCare program. Iain also works with a number of NGO’s in guiding strategy and influencing policy.

Before joining Sodexo Motivation Solutions, Iain worked as a senior executive for a number of companies involved in the aerospace and automotive industries.

In his spare time Iain enjoys theatre, literature, as well as tennis and ski

Latest news

Sustainable business starts with people, not HR policies

Why long-term success depends on supporting employees, not just meeting ESG targets, with practical steps for leaders to build healthier organisations.

Hiring steadies but Gulf crisis threatens recovery in UK jobs market

UK hiring shows signs of stabilising, but rising global uncertainty linked to the Gulf crisis is weighing on employer confidence and delaying recovery.

Women ‘face career setback’ risk with flexible working

Female staff using remote or reduced-hour arrangements more likely to move into lower-status roles, raising concerns about bias in career progression.

Jo Kansagra: Make work benefits work for Gen Z

Gen Z employees are entering the workforce at full steam, and yet many workplace benefits schemes are firmly stuck in the past.
- Advertisement -

Union access plans risk straining workplace relations, CIPD warns

Proposed rules on workplace access raise concerns about employer readiness and operational strain.

Petra Wilton on managers struggling with new workplace laws

“Managers are not being given the tools they need to fully understand how the rules of the workplace are changing.”

Must read

Alistair Shepherd: Stop looking at individuals and start looking at teams

HR analytics offers a genuine opportunity to understand our workforces better.  Alistair Shepherd thinks that it should focus on making it easy for people to talk to each other.

Parisa Bazl: Addressing the psychological impact of cyber attacks

"Cyber attacks can cut to the core of any organisation and have the potential to severely impact the reputation, performance, and finances of any organisation that experiences an incident..."
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you