People want flexible working, but most cant get it, says TUC

Almost one in ten of employees in the UK (2.3 million people) would like to work fewer hours, even if this meant taking home less money each month, according to a report published today by the TUC. However, more than half a million workers who have asked for a shorter working week have had their requests turned down by their employers.

The report, íChallenging timesí, reveals that over three-quarters of UK employees (77.4 per cent) have no element of flexibility in their employment contracts, prompting the TUC to call for employers to do more to introduce changed ways of working that suit companies and individuals alike.

íChallenging timesí is published to coincide with the first day of a major two-day conference organised by the European Trades Union Confederation and the TUC to look at how unions and employers across Europe are altering the working day to help meet the needs of the 21st century workforce.

The TUC report says that UK employees are much more likely to be able to opt for flexible working arrangements like flexitime and job-share if they are fortunate enough to work for an organisation where there is a union. Union members are nearly twice as likely to be working flexibly (34.5 per cent), compared to employees from non-unionised workplaces (19.1 per cent).

Workers in the public sector are more likely to have a greater work/life balance than people working for private firms, according to the report. Less than one in ten of private sector employees (six per cent) are on flexitime, compared to almost one in five in the public sector (19.8 per cent).

And although there are now 150,000 more people (many of whom are men) working flexitime since the right to request to work flexibly was introduced 18 months ago, the total is still only a little over one in ten of all UK employees (11.5 per cent). In Germany, the percentage of employees on flexitime is three times as high.

íChallenging timesí says that although four in ten employees (9.4 million) would jump at the chance to work fewer hours, many are unable to do so for financial reasons. As well as the 2.3 million who would take a pay cut if it meant working fewer hours, a further 3.5 million people could reduce their hours by cutting their unpaid overtime and sticking to their contracted hours.

The report also builds on the joint report published by the Government, the TUC and the CBI in the summer by highlighting further case studies - including Bristol City Council, Croydon Primary Care Trust and Organon Research - where flexible working has helped employees and made good business sense.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: There are many reasons why individuals are keen to change their working hours. Being the parents of young children is the obvious one, but employees might also want time out to care for older relatives or to brush up on some new skills. Whatever the reason, employers should not see flexible working as a burden, but as a positive move that makes sound business sense.

The right to request to work flexibly has unfortunately had little impact on the UKís long hours culture. Though a few forward thinking employers can see the benefit of a more intelligent organisation of workload and working hours, many bosses are not imaginative enough to meet flexible requests from employees with anything other than a firm no.

Extending the right to request to work flexibly to all workers might actually help more employers embrace a new working culture that benefits them as well. Sadly, our figures suggest that the day when all employees can enjoy a decent work/life balance is still some considerable way off.