10 million parents will have
'right to request' flexible working
And it's not only for mums,
Ministers insist
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Flexibility comment
Flexibility of course welcomes the proposals. The
emphasis on family-friendliness and work-life balance are valid
particularly when addressing issues of diversity and equality in
the workforce.
All the same, the impact of the proposals is to increase the
likelihood of ad hoc and reactive approaches to implementing
flexibility. It is still based on the assumption that
flexibility must be an exception from some other ‘normal’ set of
working arrangements.
At Flexibility, we reject this approach. It is not
only inherently un-strategic but also discriminatory.
It creates situations where employees doing identical work
are treated differently, simply on the grounds that one person
is a parent or carer, and one is not.
So our verdict: this is progress, but we have some way to
go to develop fair and comprehensive public policy on flexible
working. |
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The right to request flexible working
will be extended to a further 4.5 million people, as all
parents of children under 16 come within the scope of
the government’s ‘family friendly’ approach to
flexibility. The decision follows the recommendations
of the report by Imelda Walsh, the HR Director of
Sainsburys, to extend the right to all parents but not
to the whole workforce (published in May 08). |
Commenting on the report, John Hutton, the Employment and
Enterprise Minister, said: "This is an excellent report that
will give a big boost to busy parents who need more help
balancing work and family life. It can also help employers who
often find they get the best out of mums and dads when they
allow them to work flexibly.
"It is important that employers retain control over deciding
whether it suits their business allow people to work flexibly,
but extending the right to request to parents of older children
will allow families to take priority when decisions are made."
The Walsh review found that:
- The challenges faced by parents of older children are
substantial, and the case for raising the age limit to 16 is
compelling
- Any change should be implemented at once, rather than a
staged introduction, to avoid creating confusion for
business and employees.
- Small businesses generally had a better record on
accepting flexible working requests than larger ones.
- Business would benefit from increased information and
guidance about dealing with flexible working requests.
- Flexible working should not be considered a 'women's
issue', with 14 million employees currently working
flexibly, and the latest figures showing men make up 45% of
this figure. The increasing earning power of women also
suggests that flexible working now, and in the future, is
far from being an issue that affects only women.
- More work should be done to raise awareness of the right
to request flexible working, both among employees and
employers.
Reinforcing the 'Mummy Track' ?
Ministers and government spokesmen have recently been at
pains to stress that it's not only about mothers, following
criticism both from trades unions and the new head of the
Equalities Commission.
According to Pat MacFadden in an article for Flexibility:
"We are also committed to addressing the needs of all
workers and we are keen that flexible working should not be
considered a 'women's issue'. Of the 14 million employees
currently working flexibly the latest figures show men make
up 45% of them. The increasing earning power of women also
suggests that flexible working now, and in the future, is
far from being an issue that affects only women. We will
therefore continue to work with business to promote the
availability of flexible working for all employees."
The government is taking the line put forward in the Marsh
review. They believe that parents consitute a special
group within the workforce for whom regulation is appropriate to
ensure their needs for greater flexibility can be met. The
review rejected the idea of extending the right to all the
workforce by means of legislation. but Ministers' comments
- as in the quote from Pat McFadden above - indicate that there
is high level support from government for a voluntary approach
to extending flexible work options to all employees.
The proposals are out for consultation before legislation is
introduced.
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