Cash made available to H&H Group’s parents struggling with home schooling, through H&H Group Employees’ Trust Scheme.
With millions of parents across the country struggling with the responsibility of educating school-aged children, H&H Group has announced a support package to help their employees with at least the technological aspect of home-schooling. In the midst of a UK digital divide, parents have grappled to source and provide enough technology devices to aid their children while learning from home. H&H Group’s ‘Buy a Laptop Scheme’ will deliver £150 of financial assistance to those employees who need additional support to purchase these technological necessities for their children.
Making a real difference in these tough times is a real challenge for companies facing the reality of a workforce juggling working from home with their home-schooling duties. For those without access to adequate technology, this is even more difficult. To help lighten the load on pressured parents, Dawn Harrison, Non-Executive Director on the Board of H&H Group, explained the push behind the scheme:
“H&H is a community, not just a group of staff and employees. This lockdown has been so hard for so many, and we wanted to do something tangible that could really make a difference. So, when the Trust heard that some in our community found they did not have the right technology when it came to home schooling, we were more than happy to help.
“People ask how we know that the offer is being taken up genuinely – and it’s all about trust. At H&H Group we all know each other, and we trust our community to ask for the help they need. This is aimed at those who have children being home-schooled and may be unable to afford yet another device in their homes, or have one that is way past it’s best and not up to the job. If necessary, we also provide support for the remainder of the costs, which can be borrowed directly from the Group at no interest.”
This scheme speaks to the innovative approach of one the region’s leading companies since the outset of this crisis. Always putting mental health and employee wellbeing at the forefront of their pandemic response, H&H Group prove again the role of employers in stepping in to fill the gap left by government inaction and failure to provide targeted support. Following the introduction of the scheme, employee feedback suggests this small gesture of solidarity is having a major impact on parents working from home.
Dawn concluded: “We’ve heard from staff who have said that this scheme has been an absolute life-saver for them right now. Having a fully functioning additional laptop is a huge thing that has made a real difference. That’s the kind of support the H&H Group Employees’ Trust was made for, and we are pleased we were able to come up with a scheme that reflects the Trust’s 50-year heritage.”
With the UK COVID-19 death toll exceeding 100,000 in recent days, it is unlikely schools will be returning anytime soon. Focusing on the immediate needs of employees and long-term development of children, H&H Group has undoubtedly provided a vital lifeline of support to working mums and dads across the Group.