Not a smart move at all, your lordship

Oct 27 2008 by Kevin Rowan for The Journal

THERE were always going to be mixed views about Lord Mandelson’s return to the Labour Government.

There are supportive voices welcoming the return of a ‘big hitter’, while others are focusing on past mistakes.

It is disappointing though, as we begin ‘Commute Smart’ week, that the new Business Secretary has chosen to adopt a negative approach to flexible working.

Currently, parents of children up to the age of six have a right to request their employer to allow them to work flexibly. Plans to extend the right to parents of children up to 16 were welcomed by the Prime Minister, not to mention by the four-and-a-half million parents set to benefit.

A survey of more than 3,500 parents found 83% of fathers and 86% of mothers wanted to work flexibly. But more than two-thirds have not yet been able to achieve the working arrangements they would like. This new right would be a real boost to resolving that mismatch.

Parents of children of all ages understand how difficult it is to juggle work and caring. It doesn’t suddenly become easier when a child passes its sixth birthday.

Last week, however, Mandelson took the decision to review this extension, motivated by a desire to save jobs during the current economic downturn.

It is right that the Government should take effective measures to protect employment, especially now. But this isn’t one of them.

Smarter working is a way of saving costs and improving productivity. Enabling workers with caring responsibilities to balance those with work commitments is one of the most effective ways of keeping people in their jobs when they need that flexibility, saving employers the cost of lost investment and the cost of replacing key employees.

Strangely welcomed by the CBI, Mandelson’s proposals have been roundly criticised by other organisations, including the government’s own Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Businesses offering smarter working are more able to retain talent, improve productivity and weather the economic storms. Ironically we are seeing some businesses applying flexibility ‘top down’ to meet reduced demand.

Employers recognise the advantages of smarter working when the pressure’s on, for individuals too, when the pressure’s on at home and at work, smarter working’s a smart solution, not a poor one, the Government should be pushing it, not holding it back.