Flexible working must not just focus on female talent, advises global talent acquisition and management specialist, Alexander Mann Solutions.
Organisations must proactively encourage the culture of flexibility across the entire workforce, or risk negatively impacting employee engagement levels and the ability to attract and retain top talent.
The call comes in response to a report from the Women and Equalities, Fathers in the Workplace, which recommends that all new jobs should be advertised as flexible to reflect the change in society.
The paper reports that fathers are even more likely than mothers to perceive that they will be viewed negatively by employers if they request to work flexibly, and that women with dependants are over three-and-a-half times as likely to report working part-time as men with dependants.
The report also highlights that while 96 per cent of employers say they offer a level of agile working, research by the Timewise Foundation has found that only 9.8 per cent of ‘quality job vacancies’ – equivalent to full-time jobs paying over £20,000 – are advertised as being open to some kind of flexibility.
Flexible working must not just focus on female talent, advises global talent acquisition and management specialist, Alexander Mann Solutions.
Organisations must proactively encourage the culture of flexibility across the entire workforce, or risk negatively impacting employee engagement levels and the ability to attract and retain top talent.
The call comes in response to a report from the Women and Equalities, Fathers in the Workplace, which recommends that all new jobs should be advertised as flexible to reflect the change in society.
The paper reports that fathers are even more likely than mothers to perceive that they will be viewed negatively by employers if they request to work flexibly, and that women with dependants are over three-and-a-half times as likely to report working part-time as men with dependants.
The report also highlights that while 96 per cent of employers say they offer a level of agile working, research by the Timewise Foundation has found that only 9.8 per cent of ‘quality job vacancies’ – equivalent to full-time jobs paying over £20,000 – are advertised as being open to some kind of flexibility.
Paul Modley, Director of Diversity & Inclusion, Alexander Mann Solutions, said, “While the recommendations in this report are designed with fathers in mind, the benefits of promoting working options which appeal to a wider pool of available talent should not be underestimate.”
“The right to work flexibly should not be viewed as the preserve of females with young families or individuals in lower skilled roles.”
“Society on the whole and expectations of employees are changing.”
“Regardless of age, gender or level of seniority, individuals are increasingly seeking to work in a way which fits with their wider lifestyle and commitments.”
“Employers who fail to respond to this desire risk missing out on the skills and experience of a huge proportion of the working population.”
