KarunaNews Story

Childcare support — or lack thereof — has become a dealbreaker for employees who no longer want to compromise on either family life or their careers. Looking for a company that provides better family support was the top reason for leaving a job for 32 percent of the 3,000 UK working parents that childcare provider Bright Horizons surveyed. Given this, a number of employers are stepping up in terms for childcare support for working parents. Technology communications company Cisco offers onsite daycare centers at many of their offices. It’s also a huge relief financially, because the service operates under a “salary sacrifice scheme” run by the UK government. This means employees pay for it directly from their salaries before tax kicks in, and they are then only taxed on their remaining salary, reducing the amount of tax they pay. This essentially saves employees between a third and half of what the day care service would otherwise cost. Other large employers like Kwik Trip, Patagonia, Home Depot, Toyota, Hormel Foods, and Walmart are also stepping into the onsite daycare space.