Policy into practice: Parents are entitled to flexible working
Anne Longfield
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Many will have welcomed the government's recent announcement of its plans to extend the right to request flexible working to all parents with children under 16. Combining the often competing demands of work and family life can be a struggle. There are currently three million parents of children under 16 in low-level jobs or not working, which suggests an urgent need to provide more suitable work options.
Encouraging the adoption of greater flexibility in working practices can benefit home life - according to the former Equal Opportunities Commission, four out of five new fathers say they would be happy to stay at home and look after the baby, if it was possible. There are advantages to employers too, with 71 per cent who implement work-life balance practices reporting a positive impact on employee relations.
Some initiatives are already being developed within organisations that seek to implement and embed flexible employment practices. Leeds City Council piloted a work-life balance project, which informed a roll out across the organisation. The strategy involved developing and offering to colleagues across the whole authority nine new flexible working options, including flexitime, the ability to work compressed hours and to work from home, along with new application and assessment processes.
Many staff took advantage of these new arrangements, with the pilot showing a 25 per cent increase in homeworking. Both managers and staff reported the pilot a success, with a one-third reduction in sick leave absence and record response rates for recruitment adverts offering flexibility. Crucially, there were important benefits for those with childcare responsibilities - 33 per cent of employees claimed the practices reduced stress at home, and during the pilot period there were no resignations for work-life balance reasons.
Working with 62 staff across a large county, Cumbria Sure Start has pioneered homeworking, allowing employees to fit their working day around life outside work. Led by project group Finding Our Balance, this strategy rests on communication between staff, with regular team meetings and a newsletter that provides advice and seeks to develop the work-life balance culture of the organisation. The project has brought clear benefits: there was a 14 per cent reduction in sickness absence, 30 per cent of staff have been inspired to undertake additional qualifications and an impact survey showed 74 per cent of staff felt the organisation embraced work-life balance.
The government's acknowledgement that parents of children under-16 have the right to request flexible working is a major step forwards.
Anne Longfield is chief executive of 4Children. Email anne.longfield@haymarket.com.
