Parent Power

Breeding resentment
While the new legislation aims to make life easier for working parents, many campaigners fear a backlash from disgruntled colleagues. The Institute of Directors warns that the changes could breed resentment among non-parent co-workers who are not entitled to flexible working hours.

Work rights expert Rachel Lewis says: 'Already you see at the moment a rather unpleasant divide in some work places between men and women. Men are saying that it is unfair that female colleagues are allowed to work more user-friendly hours simply because they have current protection under the sex discrimination law. I can imagine that with the new legislation we could have a real divide between those with child care responsibilities and those without.'

There are also very real fears that parents who do raise their rights will suffer discrimination at the hands of employers. Will employers simply avoid offering jobs or promotion to people who are likely to make use of this change in their rights? Rachel Lewis says: 'It is all very well having protection under the letter of the law, but it is the intangible discrimination that would cause more concern. When you cannot actually prove why you haven't got that promotion, you can't show why your colleague is doing better, but you know in your heart of hearts that it's probably because you exercised your rights, you are not going to be able to prove it in all but a small minority of cases.'