Dhanya Nair’s Post

This is why it’s f*cking hard work being a working mother in the UK. UK Government: “We’ve got this slight issue of a declining birth rate so we would really reallly like it if you all keep having children. We’re also going to need you to keep working as well after you’ve had the children, as that realllllly helps the economy. But we’re going to need you to spend most, if not all, of that salary you’re earning on getting people to look after your kids whilst you go out and work. But that’s if you can even get a place after the mess we’ve made of that sector! Another thing, please make sure you’re earning the exact right amount - not too much or we’ll take financial support away, and not too little or we’ll also take that support away. We’re really also going to put pressure on employers to get you all back to the office because we think that will make you more productive. So maybe more costs for you on childcare and less time with those children we’d like you to have, but you’ll definitely be more productive! Final point, the fact that your employers are allowed to pay you less than your male counterparts, that’s all ok with us too. All fairly straightforward. Any questions?” #womeninbusiness #genderequality #flexibleworking #womenintheUK

This could not be more accurate

Very accurate

A brilliant summary of the perpetual dilemma women face daily: balancing the desire for children with the need for accessible childcare and support, all while maintaining full-time employment to afford these necessities. Moreover, they're penalised for taking time off, a paradox considering it's precisely what the government encourages by promoting family growth. #womeninwork #genderequality #letsdobetter #hendersonscott

this. this x 1,000%. it hits the nail on the head about the issue which - baffingly - has been an issue even when i started my career six hundred years ago. returning to work purely to cover the childcare costs of being able to return to work is the dumbest situation there is - but the government doesn't get it. It's all well and good reducing childcare costs when a child starts pre-school, but it's the costs of nursery which are the biggest issue - because they come straight out of salary when returning to work. Losing the best part of £1k+ (depending on where you live) each month is unsustainable - and that stops parents returning to work. it's ridiculous that some nurseries are more expensive than private schools, and it's ridiculous it's still an issue in 2024.

Simple Decision Matrix >> 🤐 F = Full time nursery for 2 kids = £40k-ish 😵 G = Gross Income Required to cover = £60k-ish 😩 -- earn anything more than that 42% to taxman Is it worth it ↔ (😵-🤐)+/-😩 = gender disparity 📈 or, you put your career on hold until you get kids into schools, by which time you'll have 5 years of the gap widening even further.

Is this a concerning trend that's here to stay or direct bi-product of the pandemic? Over 21% of working-age adults are not actively seeking employment, translating to over 9 million people. This figure has risen by 700,000 since the pandemic, yet unemployment rates have remained steady. Key factors like long-term illness are keeping people out of the workforce, particularly among younger age groups disrupted by the pandemic. The UK govt has introduced measures to tackle this, including tax cuts and expanded childcare support, but experts argue for a broader strategy addressing skills shortages and increasing labor force participation. https://lnkd.in/ervmmQ3T

Keeping you informed: ➡ Almost a third of people in England live in a ‘childcare desert’, meaning they have reduced access to childcare, according to a new report by International childcare: Mapping the deserts by Australia’s Victoria University. ➡ Trade union Usdaw Union has won a Supreme Court case against supermarket giant Tesco over so-called proposals to ‘fire and rehire’ workers on less favourable terms. ➡ Workers across the UK are being “cheated” out £2 billion worth of holiday pay, according to a new report published by the Trades Union Congress (The TUC). ➡ A former account manager at Mitie has made her damages payout increased to over £350,000 after the company was found guilty of pregnancy discrimination. ➡ Only a quarter of UK employers think the defined contribution (DC) pension provision they offer employees will enable them to have a comfortable retirement, according to a survey by WTW. ➡ Official figures show that unemployment in the UK dipped to 4.1% in the three months to July, from 4.2% a month earlier. ➡ Two million unpaid carers are living in poverty, and 400,000 live in deep poverty in the UK, according to a new report by WPI Economics, with difficulties staying in work one of the key reasons. ➡ Fewer than half (44%) of UK workers say that their manager has discussed flexible working arrangements with them, with 55+ workers much less likely to say this, according to a new survey by Phoenix Insights, the think tank of insurance company Phoenix Group. View extended update in the comments. #HRnews #childcare #olderworkers #policies #bestpractice #flexibleworking #employers #retirement #unemployment #carers #pregnancydiscrimination

Employees are frequently forced to cut their work hours or forgo work entirely because of the high cost or lack of availability of good child care. Nearly three out of every five small businesses are in the process of hiring employees, either part-time or full-time – but 80% of them are having trouble recruiting qualified candidates for these jobs. Option 1: Govt policy discouraging the having of children so we can boost GDP cos childcare wont be needed soon. (Works for one generation only). Option 2: Immigration - (that won't work in Europe or US presently) Option 3: Few people who want to work in jobs, GDP and tax take down, cut social services and the budget Option 4: Tax the rich - always popular - if only there were more of them you could get your hands on. Esp if you could tax non-nationals, earning their money abroad, keeping it abroad, but tax it here. Option 5: Confiscate assets. Call it something nice like "one off windfall tax' Option 6: Remove retirement age - work till 100. (hmmmm) Option 7: Relax childcare rules eg 1 adult to 100 children, no safety checks. (Nope!). Option 8: Borrow money to start schooling from age 1. (Debt to GDP at 100% - won't fly) Option 9: Companies (bigger ones) provide it. Not enough big companies.

Keeping you informed: ➡ The proportion of employees going to the office three or more days a week has risen to 43%, up from 37% last year, according to a CBRE survey. ➡ Hiring problems have increased across all sectors, according to the latest quarterly recruitment report from the British Chambers of Commerce. ➡ Mental health training for line managers is strongly linked to better business performance, and it could save companies millions of pounds in lost sick days every year, according to new research led by experts at the University of Nottingham. ➡ England will need 540,000 additional social care posts by 2040 if the workforce is to grow in line with the increase in the number of people over the age of 65 in the population, according to figures from Skills for Care. ➡ Holiday childcare costs in Britain have risen by 6% since last summer, with working parents now facing an average bill of £175 per child per week – over £1,000 for the six-week break – according to Coram Family and Childcare’s 19th annual Holiday Childcare Survey. ➡ Employment law reforms including a day one right to maternity pay, statutory sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal are among the 40 bills announced in the King’s speech. ➡ The BT Group has announced a new parental leave policy of up to 18 weeks on full pay plus eight weeks on half pay for any parent no matter how their family is made up. ➡ Around 2.8 million UK over 50s have returned to work after being previously retired, according to new research from Legal & General, but only 3% plan to or are considering returning to full-time work. View extended update in the comments. #HRnews #office #returners #recruitment #mentalhealth #workforce #socialcare #childcare #humanresources #diversityandinclusion #employment #parentalleave