The majority of employers (92%) believe employees work best when offered a work-life balance.
The charity Gingerbread conducted a survey which found the key employment practices required by single parents are: part-time or flexible hours; flexibility to attend school functions; and paid time off when their child is sick.
As a result, Gingerbread has launched a briefing on flexible working. Fiona Weir, chief executive of the charity, has called for the government to move faster on plans for flexible working.
“The business case for flexible working is proven with 92% of employers agreeing that people work best when they can balance work and other aspects of their lives,” she said.†
Gingerbread is calling on the government to: implement plans to enable all employees to apply for flexible working; ensure all jobs in the public sector are offered on a part-time or flexible basis unless there is a clear business case not to; and introduce a right to paid parental leave to help parents deal with time off when children are ill.
The charity is also calling for employers to: offer employees a set number of paid days per year for caring for dependents; offer training on managing flexible working to all managers; and offer jobs of 16 hours per week so parents can claim working tax credits.
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