Bill promises day-one right to flexible working

A bill that proposes to give workers the right to flexible working from the first day of their job has been introduced in parliament with wide cross-party support.

Labour MP Tulip Siddiq introduced the Flexible Working Bill under Parliament’s Ten Minute Rule yesterday. She said it would “require employers to offer flexible working arrangements in employment contracts and advertise the available types of such flexibility in vacancy notices”.

If taken forward and enacted into law, all workers would receive a right to flexible working from their very first day of employment, except in “exceptional circumstances”.

Under current employment legislation only people classified as employees have a right to request flexible working, and only if they have worked at their organisation for 26 weeks and they have not made any other flexible working request in the previous 12-month period.

The Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, who is shadow children’s minister, said flexible working should be a “right for all, rather than a perk for the few”.

She told the House of Commons: “Overall, the impact of flexible working is most on women and that’s something we can’t deny.

“In this country the childcare responsibilities… largely fall on women and the statistics show that if women can flexibly work and go back to their jobs, they’re more likely to not quit their jobs after they’ve had a child and to go back to their careers.

“The statistics show that men can flexibly work as well, women are twice as likely to excel in the career that they’re pursuing, if they have their husbands helping them with childcare responsibility and looking after children.”

The bill has been co-sponsored by MPs from the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Green Party, SNP, and DUP, as well as the Labour party.

In a report published today, the CIPD identified several flexible working “no spots” across the UK – areas where workers are least likely to have flexibility in their role.

Using data from the Office for National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey, it found workers in the South East of England have the best flexible working options in terms of hours, location and the ability to leave at short notice or take time off during the day to deal with personal matters.

However, those in Yorkshire and the Humber are the least likely to be offered flexibility. Flexible working was also less likely to be found in the East Midlands, Wales, West Midlands and the South West.

The CIPD said the regional differences in flexible working arrangements reflected the nature of work and predominance of particular sectors that have traditionally offered more flexible working in different parts of the country.

Higher skill and higher pay jobs also tend to be concentrated in London and the South East, the CIPD said. These roles tend to offer more autonomy and better bargaining power over conditions, including working from home.

Peter Cheese, CIPD chief executive, said employers should think creatively about the flexibility they could offer those that need to be in the physical workplace to ensure fairness of opportunity.

“Having a wide range of flexible options is necessary to support the whole workforce and we want to see an increase in the uptake of all forms of flexible working, regardless of the type of work someone does or the region they’re in,” said Cheese.

“An increase in the use of different arrangements, such as flexi-time, compressed hours or job shares will empower people to have greater control and flexibility in their working life. It will also help organisations to foster more diverse and inclusive workplaces and can improve wellbeing and productivity.”

Last week, the government said it was considering making flexible working a “default option”. A spokesperson said this would include “a range of working arrangements around time, place and hours of work including part-time working, flexi-time or compressed hours”.

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