Flexible working is not just for mums

The Family and Parenting Institute today backed calls for employers to support dads by allowing them to work flexibly so they can spend more time with their family.

In a letter to The Times newspaper (Friday 19 June) a group of business leaders, including Peter Jones from Phones International Group and the TV programme Dragon’s Den, said  that for employers ‘being father friendly will help to build employee loyalty and satisfaction — and we all know that a happier workforce is a more productive one.’

Sally Gimson, Director of Communications at the Family and Parenting Institute said: ‘Mums and dads have told us that they want to spend more time with their family.  Many families are under enormous pressure when it comes to juggling earning a living and caring for their children.

‘Being able to work flexibly can make a big difference – it allows parents to spend more time with their children and helps them to divide caring duties at difficult times of the day,  like before and after school.  This can also help parents to save money because they don’t have to rely on childcare services as much.’

Sally Gimson

In our study ‘Real Stories: How families spend time’ parents said it was harder for fathers to get time off work to spend with their children.*

Our research shows that for one in four parents the policy to work flexibly is the most important above any other – including policies around childcare.**  In addition, parents also tell us that the right to request flexible working is not enough – they want the right to have it.

The Family and Parenting Institute is worried that parents won’t ask their employer if they can work flexibly because they fear it could hamper future career opportunities or make them vulnerable for redundancy.  Research from the Work Foundation suggests men in particular are nervous about the consequences of requesting flexible working.***  This is an issue we will be asking parents about very soon.

Added Sally: ‘Flexible working is not something that should be reserved for mothers only – fathers equally have the right to make the most of this opportunity.  And at times of recession staying in employment is really important.  If employers and parents can agree how to work flexibly to suit both of them that would be something really positive to come out of what is a very difficult financial time for families.

‘We are really pleased that the need to be more supportive to parents has been championed by business and has been recognised by all of the political parties.’

The amount of time dads spend at work is also a problem.  A third of working fathers say they are working more than 48 hours a week, and that proportion is increasing.****

The type of work fathers do also makes a difference.  Fathers in lower paid, manual occupations tend to use part-time working, job-sharing, special shifts and nine-day fortnights to a greater degree than men in non-manual occupations, while a higher proportion of fathers in lower socioeconomic families are also involved in helping mothers with childcare.*****

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* Real Stories: How families spend time, The Family and Parenting Institute, 2005 http://www.familyandparenting.org/Filestore//Documents/Surveys/NFPI_TimeforFamiliesReport2.pdf

** Making Britain family friendly, The Family and Parenting Institute, 2003 http://www.familyandparenting.org/Filestore/Documents/publications/making_britain_family_friendly.pdf

*** The Work Foundation, 2005 – http://www.theworkfoundation.com/pressmedia/news/newsarticle.aspx?oItemId=125

**** Working Long Hours: a Review of the Evidence Volume 1 – Main Report, Department of Trade and Industry, 2003

***** Parental Care and Employment in Early Childhood Equal Opportunities Commission, 2007