Nursery care provider Childbase Partnership has implemented 20 extra paid days off a year for its 2,300 employees as of this month.
Known as Partnership reward days, the initiative is based on contracted hours worked in the previous three months and will enable full-time staff to be able to take up to five days of extra paid leave in each quarter, with pro-rata allocations for others.
According to the provider, which has 44 nurseries across the country and is employee-owned, this is in addition to employees’ annual leave entitlement, which was extended in April last year, long service reward days and bank holidays. Employees can sell a portion of their extra days if they would prefer a cash reward.
The announcement was made at the provider’s annual Virtual Roadshow event and is the result of feedback from the workers. The aim of the initiative is to further improve work-life balance and promote better workplace happiness.
Emma Rooney, chief executive at Childbase Partnership, said: “This is, quite simply, the right thing to do for [employees] who continue to rise magnificently in these challenging times, and a need to further improve their work-life balance as a result. Like the profit-sharing partnership dividend, everyone’s contribution is recognised with [employees] stepping up for team mates on maternity or sickness leave achieving the maximum extra reward days to invest in themselves and re-energise. This has been a particular focus post-pandemic, with an extended range of support available to help [employees].”
Childbase Partnership also offers its employees a Health Assured employee assistance programme and My Healthy Advantage app to provide support for staff and their immediate family members, access to NHS-accredited support app Thrive. Last year the organisation introduced an £8.5 million financial support plan to help employees with cost of living challenges. This includes two meals a day in settings, fresh fruit and refreshments in staff rooms, free feminine hygiene products, and access to discounted shopping and entertainment through Perkbox.