New plans announced by the UK Government this month will enable employees with children aged up to 16 years to request more flexible working patterns, extending flexible working rights to an additional 4.5 million workers. The new rights, however, will not extend to all employees and Regus ─ the worldís largest provider of flexible workplace solutions ─ is warning that this could prove costly and potentially divisive for businesses.
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Commenting on the new plans, Kurt Mroncz, spokesperson for Regus, says: ìThe right to flexible working is increasingly high on employeesí agendas ─ and not just parents. With growing concern about work-life balance and the environmental impact of the daily commute, weíre seeing increasing demand for alternatives which allow employees to work flexibly, whether from home or from a serviced office near to their house. Add to this the soaring price of fuel which is taking an increasingly large slice of wage packets for staff forced to commute every day and there is a compelling case for making flexible working available to all.î
To attract high fliers, more organisations are presenting flexible working options to attract those who prioritise work-life balance over financial rewards. A recent survey by TargetJobs showed that flexible working rather than salary is the most important factor when graduates are choosing an employer.
Mroncz continues: ìBusinesses which donít consider flexible working requests from non-parents risk creating a divisive organisational culture. Ultimately, it could mean the difference between bringing in the best new talent or losing out to other organisations which are more willing to adopt flexible working practices.î
The Government announcement was accompanied by the publication of Right to Request Flexible Working, a review by Imelda Walsh, Human Resources Director for J Sainsbury, on behalf of the Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Review (BERR).
To read the full BERR report, ëRight to request flexible working: a review of how to extend the right to request flexible working to parents of older childrení, visit:
Do new flexible working rights go far enough, asks Regus?
Regus welcomes extension of flexible working to an additional 4.5 million UK parents but questions Government reluctance to extend flexible working to non-parents
