Employee benefits and wellbeing provider Vivup (team pictured above) has launched a family benefit to help support its employees with caring responsibilities.
Its FamilyCare benefit provides the means to search for care provision for the whole family, anywhere in the UK. The database comprises more than 14,000 childcare providers, 4,000 tutors, 15,000 eldercare providers and 3,000 pet care providers.
The organisation has the flexibility to set a budget and limits on cost per care session, as well as choose which services to support, such as specialised childcare, eldercare and pet care. Vivup employees will be able to draw down against their budget, as care is only paid for when it is expensed back due to the reimbursement model.
Return on investment can be tracked by measuring how usage supports attendance, productivity, performance and engagement, while an advisory line provides advice for employees with questions or concerns.
Growing levels of absenteeism and soaring childcare costs that make it difficult for some working parents to remain in the workplace prompted Vivup to launch the programme.
Simon Moyle, chief executive officer of Vivup, added: “We know approximately 1.3 million people in the UK make up ‘sandwich carers’, but family dynamics are different in every household. So, when unexpected or sudden caring challenges arise, it often creates an absenteeism problem. Indeed, many first day absences are parents stating they have a cold or other health issue, when in fact they needed flexibility to support a family member.”