Almost a third of women working in schools, hospitals, care homes, town halls, police stations and other key services have had requests to work flexibly denied, an analysis has suggested.
A survey by union Unison – which received 44,000 responses from women working in the public sector – revealed that a quarter of the women had had multiple requests denied. Unison labelled these employers as being “inconsistent, rigid and unimaginative” by denying individuals the flexibility needed.
The data showed nearly half (47%) of respondents had requested some flexibility in their jobs so they could achieve a better work-life balance. More than a third (37%) had done so to look after their mental health, 36% to fit around their childcare needs and 29% for physical health reasons.
The women were given a range of explanations by employers as to why it wasn’t possible for them to work flexibly. Two-fifths (42%) were told it would affect the quality of service and 28% that there wouldn’t be enough colleagues to cover their duties. A fifth (20%) were denied any flexibility because their managers said it would prompt colleagues to ask for similar working patterns. Around 15% were given no reason at all.
From this April, the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 gives employees in England, Scotland and Wales a statutory right to request flexible working from their first day at work.
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Unison pointed out that the new law does not make it any more difficult for employers to turn down flexible-working requests, with some respondents explaining they had been asking to work flexibly for several years but all requests had been rejected.
One disabled woman, whose employer kept rejecting her requests for flexible adjustments to her hours, said her condition had deteriorated and she had to go on long-term sick leave.
Other women reported being told to use annual leave or buy their own IT equipment if they wanted to work slightly different hours. Some requests were rejected within a few hours of them being submitted indicating a lack of consideration.
As a result, many women had handed in their notice, even quitting secure jobs for less-reliable agency or zero-hours roles in some cases.
General secretary of Unison Christina McAnea said: “It’s disheartening to see many employers continuing to deny their staff the opportunity to work flexibly. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
“But sadly many women who find they need to inject some flexibility into their working lives are coming up against employers with inconsistent, rigid and unimaginative attitudes.
“While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, some form of flexible working is achievable in most workplaces.
“Helping women to balance work with caring commitments not only improves morale but can also help employers fill hard-to-recruit jobs. And with fewer vacancies, services provided to the public are likely to improve.
“Too many employers are still turning down flexible-working requests, which means the right to request is pretty meaningless for many women. The right to work flexibly from day one would be beneficial for staff and employers alike, and help bring workplaces into the 21st century.”
Unison is pushing for all employers to include flexible working options in job adverts to help ensure more requests are agreed. Its annual women’s conference, currently taking place in Brighton, will see motions debated on how to improve flexible working.
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