Childcare voucher schemes can usually be implemented quickly and easily, with the voucher provider protecting the employer from most of the administration.
According to Alison Chalmers, director of KiddiVouchers, the main difficulty can be in communicating the benefit to a diverse or widespread workforce, so employers need to check that their chosen voucher provider can offer plenty of marketing materials, ideally in a range of formats.
Many suppliers will help market voucher schemes to employees in your organisation with packages that may include the following:
- Information pack.
- Information leaflet.
- Payslip attachment.
- Posters.
- Table-top advertiser.
- Intranet advice.
Through these information channels, the benefits of the scheme can be outlined by highlighting the savings.
Chalmers adds that the interaction between childcare vouchers and other benefits such as tax credits, national minimum wage and statutory maternity pay can cause issues for employers.
“Childcare voucher providers can normally offer guidance to employers and to employees to help with these issues, and some offer additional calculations or pre-registration screening,” she says.
