Flexible working hours offered 'virtually everywhere' in UK

Virtually every British workplace offers some form of flexible working for staff, including reduced hours, part-time arrangements and job-sharing, according to an official report today.

The British government said nine out of 10 employers will now consider a request from an employee to change their work patterns, while 7% would make a special effort to accommodate any particular problems encountered by the parents of young or disabled children.

The Department for Business and Enterprise in the UK said a survey of almost 1,500 workplaces in Britain showed an increase in part-time working, reduced hours, job-sharing and flexi-hours.

The report said that 95% of employers now offered some form of flexible working for their staff.

British Minister for Employment Relations, Pat McFadden, said the survey was an endorsement for the UK Government’s staged approach to introducing flexible working.

“The way we work is changing and in many cases, it is changing to fit in with people’s lives. More people want to balance work with family and lifestyle and more employers are increasingly recognising that flexibility helps retain good staff.”

“We have developed a staged approach for employees to request flexible working which is proving effective – from giving the right to request flexible working to parents with children under six on to carers of disabled children under 18 and adults.

“As part of our new review of flexible working, we’ll now be discussing the best way to extend the right to request to parents of older children – so that businesses, parents, carers and families can all benefit.”

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber commented: “The increase of flexible working is good news for both employers and staff. But this rise has been coupled with a renaissance of the ’long hours’ culture.

“We are in danger of having a two-tier workforce, where good employers offer great flexible working, while stingy employers stick with rigid, long-hours. Extending rights to flexible working is the best way to prevent to stop employers getting away with this.”