Telecoms giant Virgin Media O2 is to give payments totalling £1,400 for employees earning £35,000 basic pay and under to support them with the rise in the cost of living.
The company is also introducing what it described as “best-in-class” maternity, adoption and paternity policies, providing new parents with extended time away from work.
Employees earning £35,000 basic pay and under will receive a support allowance totalling £1,400, with a first payment of £400 in November followed by another £400 in January 2023.
This will be followed by six payments of £100 a month until July 2023.
Virgin Media O2 also offers free access to financial advice and education support and health and wellbeing services, such as medical care and mental health support to its employees.
The company also announced it will offer up to five days paid leave to help employees deal with emergencies at home or to help them support their family, and up to 10 days paid leave to support people who have experienced the loss of a loved one.
With more than one in 10 of Virgin Media O2’s employees self-identifying as an unpaid carer, the company is introducing five days of paid carer’s leave.
Philipp Wohland, chief people officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “Virgin Media O2 is proud to be a leading UK employer and we’re stepping up for our people when they need us.
“We’re supporting our employees most affected by the rise in the cost-of-living with a payment of £1,400 to help them through the difficult months ahead.
“Coupled with an earlier pay uplift and bonus, this represents an overall above-inflation increase for many of our people.
“Our new best-in-class leave policies will support all our employees, including LGBTQ+ families, and we’re proud to be one of the first UK businesses to offer both carer’s leave and neonatal leave so that our people have the flexibility to be there for their loved ones when it counts.”
Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said: “We’re delighted that our corporate partner Virgin Media O2 will be offering unpaid carers in the organisation five days of paid carer’s leave.
“We estimate as many as one in seven of the UK workforce has an unpaid caring responsibility for a relative or friend who is older, disabled or seriously ill.
“Juggling the two can be a challenging balancing act.
“Carer’s leave gives working carers the flexibility they need to support their loved one – at routine hospital appointments, for example, or to recover from a planned operation.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub Source : Radio News Hub
