Flexible working extension will reduce productivity say businesses

Nearly Two-Thirds Reject Increase in Paid Paternity Leave

Productivity will suffer if flexible working rights for employees are extended, reveals a survey of businesses across the UK.

Sixty-one percent of businesses polled by Croner Consulting, one of the UK’s leading providers of business advice and support, fear the Government’s recent proposal to extend paid maternity leave from six to twelve months will negatively impact their bottom line.

The results coincide with today’s survey by the British Chambers of Commerce which shows that small firms are against any new rights for workers at all.

Richard Smith, HR expert at Croner Consulting, part of Wolters Kluwer (UK), believes that current provisions for working parents are adequate and is supporting the view of those businesses that would find it difficult to cope if new legislation is introduced.

He says: The survey results aren’t surprising and echo a rising debate of whether employees’ rights are going too far.

Most employers try to accommodate working parents as best as they can, but the law should support the employer’s need for the work to be done. Employers’ rights need to be balanced with those of the employee and further provisions for parents and carers would leave many businesses struggling to cope.

This is especially true for smaller firms who may find it difficult to bear the costs of recruiting and training replacement staff.

Childless workers do not have equivalent rights to time off work and Richard points out that this could also affect productivity by causing conflict in the workplace.

He says: Childless workers are likely to become demotivated and disgruntled as they may feel it is unfair that they do not have the same rights to time off work or flexible working. They also face the strain of picking up additional work when parents are absent due to maternity or paternity leave, or to accommodate childcare responsibilities.

A further recent Croner Consulting survey revealed that 54 percent of employers do not think that a father’s right to paternity leave should be made equal to maternity leave.

Richard says: It’s clear that employers feel strongly about parental rights and have justified concerns that their business could suffer if new legislation was introduced. Both maternity and paternity rights were extended last April and they adequately allow people to enjoy both a family and a career.