Survey finds around 40% of British parents have taken holiday leave just to take care of children at home.
Remote work has unique benefits to offer British families and especially parents who have young children that need to be taken care of.
With a rising cost of living, British workers are cutting back on childcare. (Photo by Keira Burton on Pexels)
Amidst the ongoing cost of living crisis, Brits are looking to save as much as possible. Many have had to resort to cutting childcare costs as a result.
Fortunately, remote work gives them an easy option to do this. And with a new survey by Capital One UK showing that high percentages of British workers spend a significant amount of time and money on childcare, remote work offers the unique benefits of cost savings and better time management to parents.
For employers, it means workers who are less stressed out and who don’t have to leave their team short-staffed while they stay at home with the kids.
Remote work helps parents manage time better
Remote work can help parents manage watching their children and performing other household duties while getting their jobs done.
A flexible schedule helps remote workers manage childcare. (Photo by Kampus Production on Pexels)
This is why having a flexible schedule, even for remote workers, is so critically important for helping British families especially during the current cost of living crisis.
The issue was underscored in a recent survey commissioned by Capital One UK. The study looked into increasing costs of childcare and how remote working factored into Brits’ home lives.
According to the survey, around 90% of Brits who work remotely do so while looking after children at home.
More than 50% also say that working from home lets them have time to manage household chores while getting their work done.
To put that in perspective, 37% of British workers said they had to take holiday leave for the sole purpose of looking after children.
That means some businesses could significantly reduce holiday leave just by letting employees work remotely instead.
It helps them cut back on costs too
Capital One UK also found that 64% of Brits feel it’s become more of a challenge to manage childcare costs in recent years.
Some 28% of respondents said they have had to cut back on childcare costs specifically just to keep their families afloat financially.
Remote work also helps parents cut back on childcare costs. (Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva on Pexels)
More than 80% said the school holidays and midterms put particular strain on their wallets, forcing them to cut back on things like:
- Going out to restaurants
- Buying new clothes
- Entertainment costs
- And more
This is an area where remote and hybrid work can help with savings, however.
If at least one parent is working from home, a family likely would not need to spend as much on childcare.
Someone would be home to look after children, eliminating the need for nannies or other services to take care of children home on holidays. It also removes transportation costs of getting children to/from daycare or similar activities.
The combined benefits of remote work for parents is especially critical at this time, and there’s more reason than ever for companies and workers to embrace remote work options in the UK.
Find the latest remote jobs in the UK via RemoteWorker.co.uk.
