Commenting on the publication today of Imelda Walsh's report for the government on flexible working, the CBI's Director of HR policy, Susan Anderson said:
Imelda Walsh conducted a thorough review of the right to request flexible working, and consulted a wide range of firms. As a result, the extension to parents of children up to age 16 strikes a fair balance and firms are up for making this extension a success.
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The right to request flexible working has worked well precisely because it is a 'right to request', not a 'right to have'. In nine out of ten cases, employers and employees agree a practical arrangement that suits both.
But extending the right to another four and a half million parents is a big step and the government must give firms enough time to prepare, particularly small firms that lack the HR resource of big companies. The extension should come into effect no sooner than October 2009 - not next April - as the process to make it law could easily run into the New Year.
Flexible working report strikes right balance - CBI
But firms need time to prepare for extra 4.5 million parents
