Problem
4.2 Days
The average time working parents took off to cover childcare last year.
Source: MFI 2026
Challenges: Protecting Productivity & Business Continuity
Personal challenges can affect employee productivity long before they result in absence. We help people plan ahead, find answers and access practical support when arrangements change – helping teams keep delivering.
4.2 Days
The average time working parents took off to cover childcare last year.
Source: MFI 2026
4.1 Days
The average time carers took off to cover eldercare last year.
Source: MFI 2026
77%
of highly stressed employees say stress makes it hard to function.
Source: MFI 2026
A carer cancels or an ageing parent suddenly needs help. Some employees step away from work. Others stay online while rearranging care, moving meetings and catching up later. One disruption can quickly become a team problem as colleagues absorb work and managers improvise cover.
Flexibility helps people adjust when and where they work, but it does not put care in place. Protecting productivity means helping people find answers, plan for predictable pressure points and access practical care when arrangements change.
Nadia leads a customer operations team responsible for time-sensitive client service. Across the team, care pressure takes different forms: regular childcare, school holidays, an ageing parent's appointments and arrangements that can fail without warning. She needs people to find the right support without turning every disruption into a manager-made workaround.
Different people will use different parts of the system. Together, they help Nadia's team plan what can be planned, absorb what cannot and keep work moving without leaving employees or managers to bridge the gaps alone.
Workplace nurseries & partnerships
Workplace Nurseries & Partnerships give working parents dependable, ongoing childcare, reducing one of the most common sources of day-to-day disruption. Provision can be shaped around workforce locations and working patterns, helping Nadia’s team plan with greater confidence.
Work+Family Space
One trusted place for guidance, expert advice and Family Concierge support. Employees can understand childcare, eldercare and family options early, rather than research them in the middle of the working day. Managers can direct people to practical next steps instead of trying to solve personal situations themselves.
Planned & Emergency Care
When usual arrangements fail, employees can access practical care for children, adults and elders – and, where included, pets. They do not have to choose between abandoning work and trying to work while arranging care, so the disruption is less likely to spread across the team.
MEASURABLE IMPACT
These findings show how everyday and predictable care support can protect performance at different points in the working calendar.
Financial Services / 12,000 employees ● 5 min read
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
Legal / 800 employees ● 5 min read
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
Bright Insights — monthly research digest
Monthly research, case studies and benchmarks — delivered to HR and reward leaders across the UK.