Angela Stalker says that for anyone who is balancing work with caring responsibilities, flexibility is not just a perk, but a lifeline.
Many people are forced to sacrifice their career goals or leave the workforce for a period of time in order to take care of their families.
Recently, the media created a frenzy about compressed hours and how they could provide a “4-day work week”. It’s not a new idea: A compressed week was always an option, ever since the Employment Act of 2002 introduced the “right to request”. Is this current discussion a distraction or a chance for us to get to the bottom of how to make work and life work well for parents in the workforce?
The discussions around flexibility bring to light the challenges that many parents and caregivers face. While compressed hours may not be the best option for every sector or job role, many employers who are forward-thinking can still offer a variety of flexible options. Strategic approach does not just include how you empower your employees to manage their time, but also the culture, policies and other support that you provide to help them balance work and life.
Listening to your workforce is more important than ever. In our 2024 Modern Families Index, the support that working parents most desire (after flexibility), include help with childcare (28%) school holiday coverage (18%) and pet care (9%).
Employers who recognize the needs and responsibilities that employees have within their organization can offer inclusive support, flexibility and benefit from an increase in productivity and loyalty.
Implementing meaningful Change
When a “four-day work week” is planned by compressing hours, it means that employees will have to work more hours. It could present a new challenge for working parents. Additional working hours will likely overlap with family time and be especially challenging for parents who have school-aged children. The gap between school and work becomes greater than ever. Virtual tutoring is one of the tools employers use to support parents who work. This allows children to be engaged in meaningful activities while their parents are at work. Virtual tutoring is one of the tools that employers use to support working parents.
A flexible approach is to integrate work and life. Work-life balance is often portrayed as a division between the work environment and personal life. Employees can take on responsibilities when they come up, within reason. This is better than leaving personal commitments for the evenings or mornings. Employees are trusted to handle a quick call, or run an errand responsibly. In sectors that are more time-bound, like manufacturing, agility can be achieved by reserving two hours of personal time each week.
It all depends on good management and clear deliverables. We can only know if our work-life integration is successful when we have achieved our goals. Flexibility must be tailored to the individual, their job and sector.
Employers’ impact of supporting families
According to MFI, more than two fifths (42%) working parents will likely look for a new job in the next twelve months. 32 per cent said they were looking for better support in their family life.
Employers are increasingly combining practical support and flexibility. Four out of five working parents who receive family support through their employer, as surveyed in our Work and Family Snapshot 2024 survey, said that their employer’s solutions improve their productivity.
The report also revealed that there was a significant difference between working parents with access to employer-sponsored family support and those who do not. The report found that those who had used the employer-sponsored childcare rated their employer as being 20 percentage points more supportive to their family than a random UK working parent population.
Employers who provide meaningful support will receive a high level of engagement.
Does a four-day work week suit parents?
This conversation will continue during National Work Life Week (7-11 October). National Work Life Week this year explores the impact flexible working has on people’s daily lives, from their improved relationships to their ability care for family members. This week serves as a reminder to businesses to focus on offering inclusive and diverse ways to support the wellbeing of their employees.
While the debate continues over whether a four-day work week is feasible, employers and employees alike must remember that it would not be an easy solution. Other forms of flexibility are available, including job sharing. However, they have not been explored as much. The more common options include meaningful part-time work, flexible start/finish times, and flexibility in location. The most flexible option for parents is term-time work, though it can be difficult to accommodate.
Employers can offer sabbaticals or the option of buying extra holidays. Employers can also encourage parents to take unpaid parental leaves, allowing them to spend up to four weeks a year away from work, or to convert this leave into paid leave. There are many options and it’s important that employees and employers have a dialog to determine what is best for the workforce and individuals.
We must also consider other forms of meaningful family support, in addition to how employees manage their time and where they work. Working parents will only have true flexibility if they can manage and access childcare when needed and work in the way that suits their needs, while delivering results for their employer.
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by Angela Stalker Head of Client Services at Bright Horizons.
