Problem
1 in 5
mid-career women cite caring responsibilities as a reason they've considered leaving the workforce
Source: MFI 2026, n=3,200
Proving employer-of-choice & EVP credibility
Your EVP says you support people. Do your people agree?
Employees no longer judge an employer by what's written in the policy. They judge it by how supported they feel when life gets complicated. That gap — between the promise and the lived experience — is where EVP credibility is won or lost. Close it, and care support becomes one of your sharpest tools for attraction and loyalty.
About this problem
Cost
£30k+
typical cost to replace a single skilled mid-career employee, before lost knowledge is counted
Source: MFI 2026, n=3,200
Solution
94%
retention of parents with employer-sponsored childcare through the under-5s years
Source: MFI 2026, n=3,200
The cost you can't see is bigger than the one you can
Absence is the part you can count — a closed nursery, a cancelled carer, a poorly child. The bigger cost never makes a report: people who show up but can't focus, carrying a mental load no spreadsheet captures. Presenteeism and burnout do more damage than lost days, just more quietly.
The organisations that protect performance don't push harder. They remove the disruption, so people can actually be present. And because the pressure isn't evenly spread, you can support the whole workforce or target where the business case is strongest.
The cost you can't see is bigger than the one you can
Absence is the part you can count — a closed nursery, a cancelled carer, a poorly child. The bigger cost never makes a report: people who show up but can't focus, carrying a mental load no spreadsheet captures. Presenteeism and burnout do more damage than lost days, just more quietly.
The organisations that protect performance don't push harder. They remove the disruption, so people can actually be present. And because the pressure isn't evenly spread, you can support the whole workforce or target where the business case is strongest.
Solutions matched to this challenge
When everyday childcare falls through
Back-Up Care
Same-day, vetted cover when the nursery closes, the childminder cancels, or a child is too poorly for school. Your people stay focused. You don't lose the day.
89% used it to avoid taking a day off
When nursery costs push parents out
Employer-Sponsored Childcare
Subsidised, high-quality nursery places your people can actually afford and genuinely trust. The single strongest signal that you take working parents seriously.
89% used it to avoid taking a day off
How a similar organisation solved this
Citi
Financial Services / 12,000 employees ● 5 min read
A FTSE 100 bank stopped losing returners. The lever was childcare, not policy.
Three years in, attrition among new parents is down 41% and engagement scores are up across the board. Here's what changed — and what didn't.
224% ROI in year one
Marsh
Legal / 800 employees ● 5 min read
“We were haemorrhaging mid-level associates. Back-up care was the turning point."
A Magic Circle firm explains why same-day cover did what flexible working policies couldn't — and how they made the business case in a single quarter.
224% ROI in year one
Get in touch
Tell us what you're trying to solve and we'll connect you with the right specialist
Other challenges
Reducing absence & presenteeism
Supporting parental leave return
Eldercare & broader caring
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