Women are vital

Lack of flexible working arrangements plays a major role in influencing mothers’ decisions to stay at home after having children. But this isn’t just an issue for women with children or, indeed, just women. For many workers, quality of life is fast being equated with the philosophy of balance between work and life. And getting the balance right is widely regarded as both cost-effective in the long run and socially beneficial. Employers simply have to rise to the occasion, because if they don’t it’ll hit them where it hurts. The cost of replacing one member of staff can run to 50% of the employee’s annual salary.

To encourage greater flexibility, employers were urged to view the work-life balance not as a woman’s issue, but as a mainstream issue. Using men, especially senior male managers, as guinea pigs would, many believed, do much to reduce the stigma attached to flexibility and demonstrate how effective and easy it can be in practice. The government was also urged to lead by example and be more visible about embracing work-life measures. If our next prime minister hears the patter of tiny feet, nothing short of a very public take-up of paternity leave will do.

The re-evaluation and recognition of the value of part-time work and other forms of flexible working is an important cultural shift that also needs to be addressed. The vast majority of part-time workers are women. But in the workplace, part-time/flexible workers are often considered less committed and effective than their full-time colleagues. Although dispelled by several surveys highlighting the benefits of flexibility through increased productivity, better morale and reduced absenteeism, this perception still impacts negatively on pay and promotion for flexible workers.

There needs to be a shift away from the long hours culture, presenteeism and the obsession that many employers have of needing to see ‘bums on seats’. More focus should be given to ‘outcomes’ not ‘inputs’ so that a worker’s productivity and results are evaluated and rewarded by fair, objective standards.