Any progress with support for working parents is welcomed, but we need to go further, in particular to support women who want to maintain their career, or return to work, alongside raising their family. Competition for talent has never been so fierce and with the increasing presence of AI and the changing world of work, businesses need to ensure they have access to as broad a talent pool as possible.
Research shows us generally women remain the primary caregivers and there is still widespread expectation across our society that they fulfil that role. This, of course, will take generations to change, but it is imperative that businesses and the government work together to remove barriers and enable working parents to strike the right work-life balance. Having a diverse workforce adds value to society and business performance.
The impending changes to the flexible working legislation are a real move in the right direction; recognising that many businesses have already opted this approach through hybrid working, mandating this in legislation is important. Fundamentally, we are dealing with people, and we are all different, so recognising that a one-size-fits-all approach is not always suitable is absolutely ok. Taking the time to get to know your people, and their needs, is imperative. As long as businesses approach this fairly and consistency, there is nothing wrong with tailoring support at the individual level as long as that meets the wider needs of the business too.
At Ogi, we have truly embraced hybrid working, and created a culture of trust and transparency, enabling people to realise their work commitments, and career aspirations, while balancing their personal life. We have empowered our people managers to treat people as individuals and work collaboratively to establish what works best for them and adds values to the business too.
Lisa Hand is people experience director at Ogi