Childcare support

Balancing childcare with work can be complicated.
Many parents juggle different childcare arrangements on different days, deal with last-minute changes when children are ill, and face high childcare costs. These pressures and support needs at work often shift over time, for example, when children start nursery or school.

While most SMEs can’t offer formal childcare benefits (such as on-site childcare or nursery partnerships), many offer support in other ways – especially through informal flexible arrangements.

“When my eldest started pre-school, you get all the germs and she kept being off sick, and I had to ring and say ‘I’m really sorry, I’ll do a bit when she’s having a nap but, I can’t really work today’, and it was fine – I didn’t have to take annual leave or sick days. I still got paid for the day, and there was no negativity towards me needing to do that.” (Anna – Employee, 10-49 staff)

Supportive practices

Support may look different in different workplaces and job roles. Common forms include:

Open conversations about what would help staff balance work and care
Time off or working from home when a child is sick
Holding meetings within core hours (e.g. 10am–4pm)
Flexitime (e.g. finishing early to do the school run and catching up in the evening)
Allowing staff to bring a child to work or work from home in emergencies, occasionally or regularly
Remote/hybrid work (accepting that children may sometimes be around if meetings are online or outside of core hours)