Flexible working to be extended

Ministers have said they plan to give an extra 4.5 million parents the right to request flexible working.

 

The right is currently restricted to parents whose children are under six or disabled but could be extended to parents of children up to the age of 16.

 

An independent review by Sainsbury's human resources director Imelda Walsh recommended the right should apply as widely as possible.

 

The government has said it will now consult on how the proposal can be implemented.

 

Business secretary John Hutton said: "This is an excellent report that will give a big boost to busy parents who need more help balancing work and family life.

 

"It can also help employers who often find they get the best out of mums and dads when they allow them to work flexibly.

 

"It is important that employers retain control over deciding whether it suits their business to allow people to work flexibly, but extending the right to request to parents of older children will allow families to take priority when decisions are made."

 

Women and equalities minister Harriet Harman added that: "Families are the framework of our lives.

 

"Parents want both to earn a living and do the best they can in bringing up their children, but need more flexibility at work.

 

"We've already built a strong foundation of support for families, with the right to request flexible working for parents of children up to the age of six, as well as improved maternity and paternity rights.

 

"But, as any parent knows, the demands of parental responsibility don't end at the age of six, which is why we are going to extend the right to request flexible work to parents with older children."

 

The review said that any change should be implemented at once rather than staged and added that more needed to be done to raise awareness of the right to request flexible working, among employees and companies.

 

Around six million workers currently have the right to ask for flexible arrangements, although the government believes more than 14 million people work flexibly.

 

More than nine out of 10 requests to work flexibly were approved last year.

 

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "Any extension of the right to request flexible working is great news for parents struggling to combine work with their often hectic family lives.

 

"This right has been hugely popular since it was introduced in 2001, with 90 per cent of requests granted by employers. Yet business lobbyists have opposed its extension at every stage, and have been fighting hard to limit this latest proposal.

 

"But while we welcome any extension, we will see it as a spur to step up our campaign for a universal right to request flexible working for all."