Flexible working

The Government believes that flexible working should be available to everyone. Its report of December 2010, The Equality Strategy - Building a Fairer Britain, states that:

“The best businesses already understand that offering flexible working makes good business sense, helping to attract and retain the best staff. Flexible working allows all businesses to adapt their working patterns to fit their needs, rather than just conforming to the traditional 9–5. Some of Britain’s most innovative and successful small and medium-sized enterprises are showing that flexible working is good for their businesses as well. And flexible working can benefit all staff, not just those with caring responsibilities, from faith communities with different religious leave needs, through to helping older people manage the transition between work and retirement. The Government will:

• extend the right to request flexible working to all employees, promoting flexible working as sensible business practice rather than special treatment. We will consult with businesses and the public as we develop our proposals; 
• promote innovative ways to help people find out about opportunities that meet their needs, building on examples such as Women Like Us, a social enterprise which runs a recruitment service that specialises in part time jobs and works with employers to design part time jobs that benefit their business.”

Women Like Us recommendations:

• When the Government encourages and supports the growth of part time work this needs to be quality part time work. The definition of quality part time work¹ is that it :

- provides the same pro-rata terms and conditions, development and progression opportunities as similar full time work
- enables the job-holder to maintain or enhance their skills
- enables an acceptable work-life ‘balance’, meeting the needs of both employer and employee
- where a business case can be made, provides the opportunity to increase the number of hours to full time work, if desired, at the same or a higher level.

• Small businesses need practical support to help them create quality part time and flexible jobs. 
• Business networks should be supported to promote the business benefits of part time and flexible working to employers, and to combat the myth that it is more expensive than full time employment. 
• Government departments and public sector agencies to lead by example, by making all vacancies available on a part time or flexible basis, unless there is a good business case not to. 
• Consider providing tax incentives for small businesses to create part time roles e.g. NIC waivers.

1  ‘Quality Part time Work – A Review of the Evidence', Warwick Institute for Employment Research for Government Equalities Office March 2010