The progress of flexible working was ceremoniously endorsed
by the Queen in her speech setting out the UK government's
programme for the coming session of Parliament (November 2007).
The government proposes carrying out a review of the existing
legislation which gives parents of children under the age of 6
the 'right to request' flexible working - which employers should
not unreasonably deny. Spokesmen for the government have made it
clear that the review is not about if there should be an
extension of the right, but about how much to extend it.
According to John Hutton, Secretary of State for
Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform:
"The right to request flexible working not only helps
millions of parents juggle work and family life, but can
also benefit business by improving staff retention and
productivity.
"We want to do more to support families while ensuring
British businesses can compete in the global economy, so now
is the right time to consider how we can extend the right to
request to parents of older children."
Official figures show that 91% of workplaces that received
requests in the last year approved all requests, that employers
largely have positive views about promoting work-life balance
and more and more managers are actively promoting flexible work
practices. The government estimates that 14 million
employees now work flexibly - pretty much half the workforce.
The review, to be carried out by Imelda Walsh, HR Director of
Sainsbury plc will look at how the current right to request
should be extended to parents of older, teenage children, and
the upper age limit of a child which should apply.
Over 6 million employees have the right to request flexible
working (2.65m of these are carers of adults, 3.6m are parents
of children under six and disabled children). Options under
consideration could include the following impacts:
- If the age limit was raised from six years old to nine
years old, an extra 1.4 million parents would benefit.
- If it was raised to children under 12, an extra 2.6
million parents of children would benefit.
- If it was raised to children under 17, 4.5 million
parents of children would benefit.
Emphasis on family friendliness
The government is keen to continue to promote
flexible working as a family-friendly measure. According
to Harriet Harman, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and
Minister for Women and Equalities, Harriet Harman:
"Mothers often tear their hair out trying to
balance earning a living with bringing up their children and
need more flexibility at work. And fathers want to be able
to play a bigger part in bringing up their children.
"Families are the framework of our lives and
matter not just to individuals but to our communities, the
economy and society as a whole. We have already built a
strong foundation of support for families through the right
for parents with children under six to request flexible
work, but as any parent knows, older children can need just
as much support and guidance which is why we are exploring
this idea. "
At Flexibility we welcome this proposed
extension. And we still hold the view that the government
wants to move forward steadily to a point where all the
workforce has the right to request.
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