Law firm Olswang introduced a subsidised emergency eldercare and childcare service last month.
Employees who have registered for the service are able to request an emergency nanny, childminder or place at a local nursery either online or by phone at any time until the morning the emergency care is required.
Employees who have pre-registered can also request homecare services for an elderly or infirm dependent.
The law firm will subsidise half of the costs of the care needed up to a maximum contribution of £250 per employee per year. Once they have exceeded this amount, staff must cover the full cost of the service themselves.
Ffion Griffith, director of human resources, said: “The first instinct [as an employer] is to be compassionate and say ‘stay home while you sort it’, but there are times where that is impractical [due to] the importance of what they are dealing with at work.”
She added it was important to offer eldercare in order to support all staff with caring responsibilities. “Employers can get pre-occupied by childcare, but some people also have caring responsibilities for elderly [or infirm dependents]. Offering staff practical support makes a huge difference because it acknowledges that there is more to what they do in their lives than work,” Griffith added.
Up to 60 staff said they would use the service, provided by Emergency Childcare, at least once a year, but registration was slow during its launch week.