More Flexible Working Calls

UK Ministers today called on employers to do more to promote flexible working, as it published its response to the Family Friendly Taskforce report.

Taking forward the taskforce’s recommendations, Ministers will promote flexible working across the public sector.

New Cabinet Office guidance will mean that there will be a presumption that all jobs should be advertised as available for flexible or part-time working unless there is a good business case why this isn’t possible.

Yvette Cooper also announced that Government will appoint a taskforce of business leaders and business organisations to champion the case for flexible working in the private sector.

To help encourage more businesses to offer flexible jobs next year, Jobcentre Plus will implement computer changes which will mean every time a new vacancy comes into a Jobcentre – the employer will be automatically asked if it can be part time, job share or flexible.

Mrs Cooper pledged that Government would offer more support and that her own Department for Work and Pensions would lead the way in making job vacancies available on a part time and flexible basis.

She said: "There aren’t enough quality part-time or flexible jobs available to parents at the moment and I am determined that, starting with my own Department, Government works with business so that we can make sure there are enough opportunities out there for parents who want to work."

The Government has also published Think Fathers: How flexible working for Dads can work for your business, a collection of case studies of how businesses large and small across many different sectors have implemented flexible working and reaped the benefits.

It provides some top tips to employers on how they can do the same in their own businesses.

Families Minister Dawn Primarolo said: "We know that fathers can find it particularly difficult to juggle the responsibilities of work and family. We are publishing the Think Fathers guide to highlight to business and industry the benefits of incorporating flexible family-friendly policies into their company.

"The guide was created by business for business and I hope companies use it to inform and even revise their employment policies and to make it easier for mums and dads to strike the right balance between work and family life."

Business Minister Pat McFadden said the right to request flexible working has been a "real success".

"As we consider the future we should make sure it continues to work well for both employees and employers."

(PR)