The UK’s small and medium-sized businesses are embracing flexible working practices for parents in ever increasing numbers, according to new research.
Almost three-quarters of SMBs have introduced flexible working options, and nearly a half gave the thumbs up to government plans to extend flexible working to parents of older children.
However, proposed legislation to extend maternity leave from 39 to 52 weeks, and offer fathers up to 26 weeks paternity leave with statutory pay in the event of the mother returning to work, were met with some caution. By contrast, here in Ireland, maternity runs to 26 weeks, with no legal entitlement to paternity leave, which as at the employer’s discretion. Many employers do offer some paid leave as a gesture of goodwill, but there is no stator requirement.
The Citrix Online study, which canvassed 1,800 working parents and 298 SMB managers, revealed that 46% of fathers and 44% of mothers believe that taking extended leave could jeopardise their career.
Fathers placed flexible working above extended paternity leave as making the most positive difference to family life in the first year of their child’s birth, rather than taking extended paternity leave.
More than half of mothers also gave primary importance to ‘working away from the office’ as the top benefit, ranking it above a company pension scheme.
Encouragingly, SMB managers highlighted employee satisfaction (66%), staff retention (58%) and a work-life balance for working parents (48%) as the key business benefits to the provision of flexible working.
“Working parents worry about the affect of having children on their career aspirations, so it is promising to see that businesses are recognising the benefits of flexible working and introducing options that will really help employees,” said Denise Tyler, founder of Mother@Work.
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