For anyone balancing work and caring commitments, access to flexibility is more than a perk – it’s a lifeline, says Angela Stalker.
Without it, many find no choice but to put their own career aspirations aside, or even step out of work for a few years, as they put the needs of their loved ones first.
The media worked up a frenzy recently, about how compressed hours could offer a ‘4-day week’. The idea is not new: a compressed week has always been one possible option since The Employment Act 2002 brough in the ‘right to request’. Is the current conversation a distraction, or is it a chance to really get to grips with making work and life work for the parents in our workforce?
Discussions around flexibility shine a spotlight on the challenges faced by many working parents and carers. It’s important to note that compressed hours might not be a viable way for all sectors to provide flexibility, or for all job roles, however many forward-thinking employers can still provide a wide choice of support to suit a diverse range of flexibility needs. A strategic approach includes not only how your people are empowered to use their time but the wider culture, policies and support you have in place to recognise their work-life needs.
It’s more important than ever for organisations to listen to their workforce. According to our 2024 Modern Families Index (MFI), the supports deemed most desirable by working parents (after flexibility) include help with childcare (28%), school holiday cover (18%) and even pet care (9%).
By recognising the personal needs and responsibilities of employees throughout their organisation, employers can provide inclusive support and true flexibility, and will benefit significantly from increased productivity and loyalty.
Implementing meaningful change
Where a ‘four-day week’ is planned through compressed hours, this means employees work longer hours. This could create a new set of challenges for working parents: additional working hours are likely to overlap with time reserved for family and can be particularly challenging for parents of school-age children. The disparity between the school day and the working day becomes more stark than ever. To support working parents in these circumstances, employer tools include virtual tutoring, to engage children meaningfully while parents work. We can see that the demand for Back-Up Care (which includes the option for virtual tutoring) is likely to become even greater.
One approach to flexibility is to think of work-life integration, taking an agile approach. Traditional notions of work-life balance paint a picture of a clear divide between work and home life. With an agile approach, employees address responsibilities as they arise – within reason – instead of leaving personal commitments to the limited time in the mornings or evenings. This relies on mutual trust, with employees managing a quick call or errand in a responsible way. In more time-bound sectors, such a manufacturing, a form of agility may be achieved through ring-fencing two hours a week as personal time.
Of course, it all depends on great management and clarity around deliverables. It is only when we know we are hitting our goals and targets that we can each see whether the way we are integrating work and life is working out. Any style of flexibility has to fit the employee, the job role and the sector.
The impact on employers of supporting families
According to our MFI findings, over two fifths (42%) of working parents are likely to look for new employment in the next 12 months. Thirty-two per cent of these said it was to seek better support for their family life.
Leading employers increasingly combine practical support with flexibility. In our annual Work + Family Snapshot 2024 which surveyed 1,800 working parents who have access to family support solutions through their employers, four in five said their employer’s care solutions enhance their productivity.
Crucially, the report revealed a notable difference when compared side-by-side with working parents who don’t have access to family support through their employer. Those who have used their employer-sponsored care rate their employer 20 percentage points more supportive of family compared to the random UK population of working parents.
So, the employer that puts in place meaningful support gains huge engagement in return.
Can a four-day week work for parents?
It’s a conversation that is set to continue throughout National Work Life Week, which will take place between 7-11 October. This year, National Work Life Week explores the true impact of flexible working on people’s lives – from improved relationships and wellbeing to their ability to care for loved ones. It serves as the perfect reminder for businesses to keep their efforts focused on providing inclusive and varied ways to support their employees’ wellbeing.
As discussions continue around the viability of four-day working weeks, it must be remembered this would not necessarily be a panacea for working families and would certainly not be without its challenges for employers. There are many other forms of flexibility, some of them under-explored, such as job shares. There are the more standard offerings such as meaningful part-time roles, flexible start and finish times, or flexibility of location (which can include ‘work anywhere’ options, including being abroad for a month but again might be challenging for a working parent or carer). Term-time working is perhaps the most parent-centred option though hard to accommodate in many sectors.
Employers can also offer sabbaticals, or the option to buy extra holiday. And of course, employers can promote unpaid parental leave more to parents, to take up to 4 weeks out a year, or even enhance this statutory leave to paid leave. There are so many options, and it is vital that employers and employees have a dialogue to explore what is best for their workforce and the individuals within it.
It’s critical to ensure that as well as looking at how our employees use time and place to get work done, other meaningful forms of family support are also considered. Only then will working parents have the true flexibility to manage and access care when they need it and work in a way that suits them, delivering for their employer.
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By Angela Stalker, head of client services at Bright Horizons.
