Kevin Rowan column

Nov 21 2005 By Kevin Rowan, The Journal

I am a big supporter of measures to help people access employment opportunities and to help people enjoy a career as well as have time for a fulfilling and balanced life outside work.

Of the Government's many positive interventions into regulations and standards at work, those relating to flexible working have been among the most helpful.

And when I hear of employers and employers' positive benefits of flexible working, of valuing and retaining staff by treating them "like human beings" (yes, one individual actually said this!), I'm enthused into believing things can be better ... then reality bites.

Despite tepid legislation, which provides some workers with the right to ask for flexible hours, the recent Labour Force Survey demonstrates flexible working is a long way from the reality of the experience of most workers.

Whether it is flexitime, annualised hours, a compressed week, job share or term-time hours only, more than three quarters of the labour force have no access to flexible working. There is, in fact, a massive mismatch in the labour market. Most workers would prefer to work fewer hours, even if that involved a pay cut, but the majority are not allowed to. Meanwhile, there are 800,000-plus part-time workers, often on low pay, who would like to work more but are unable to do so.

If this was managed better, labour turnover could be reduced and motivation and productivity increased.

The survey shows union members are more likely to access flexible working and there is a significant difference between the public sector, where more than 40% of workers are able to work flexibly, and the private sector, where almost 87% of workers have no access to flexible working.

It is not just childcare that motivates requests for changing working hours. Other reasons include family time generally, pursuing education or just wanting to spend less time at work.

Gender differences continue to be significant, however, with twice as many women requesting change for childcare reasons, while men appear to find it much harder to get agreement from their employer when requesting flexible working for this reason.

Employers say they value flexible working, that there is no evidence that it damages productivity or competitiveness and some evidence to suggest these things benefit. But more action is needed. With more women in the labour market and more men wanting to spend more time at home, working time arrangements must reflect this.