Flexible working, the default position
Oh how pleased I am that people are finally taking notice about a subject close to my heart, flexible working. It is great to see MP Helen Whatley highlighting these points in government which have been shared far and wide.
I wish I could say that I have done much more in terms of campaigning for more flexible working but I did write a few posts and articles that fortunately resonated with a lot of people on LinkedIn and made a few extra people listen. It helped my own plight to find a flexible role and I was very kindly told that I inspired a few others to be more confident with their requests and be more outspoken on the topic. That was 18 months ago now, around the same time that Katy Fridman set up her fantastic Facebook group ‘Flexible Working for People Like Me’. It is great to see things have moved on a bit from then but I feel we still have such a long way to go. Every day intelligent, hardworking women (and sometimes men) post in the group about basically being shafted by their employers following maternity or paternity leave. Being told to return full time or not at all. Being made to feel they have to choose between a career and their children. Being made to feel that all their previous service was worthless. Being made to feel vulnerable. Having their job applications ignored.
It is heart breaking to see my friends naively going back into their office, as I did, presuming their kind employers who they have worked loyally for would allow them to come back to work after having a baby with flexible options and then being told a big fat ‘NO’ just like I was. At an already emotional and difficult time, they are having to apply for new jobs and having to lower their expectations to find something to fit around childcare. Why has this become the norm?
I regularly follow dialogue about flexible working on LinkedIn and do throw my opinion in where I can, just in case anyone is interested. I remember one particular gentleman recently commented on a post about people wanting the opportunity to work from home to say “but when I am at home, with the children, I don’t get anything done so I can’t understand why anyone a company should support this”. This comment was from a Director of quite a large firm and he had completely misunderstood such a basic part of flexible working. It took about thirty rather angry people responding to say that working from home doesn’t mean looking after children and that those children were at school or nursery for him to realise his mistake.
I had another conversation recently with someone fairly senior on a feed who was talking about flexible working just being part time hours and for women and again, it worried me that these ideas just seem to be everywhere. Lots of people who connected with me or messaged me on LinkedIn after I wrote my articles on the subject weren’t just Mums, they were Dads or people with disabilities or people nearer retirement who just wanted the option to work flexibly. A couple of people got in touch who don’t have a ‘reason’ to work flexibly, they just want to for a better work/life balance and wanted to know what I thought about that.
It was laughable when I applied for a job at a fairly new digital company just before I got my current job. I asked if they are set up for people to work remotely. They said “yes, people can but it isn’t our culture to so we don’t want anyone to”. I very quickly took myself out of that application process. What a waste from a brand new company with the exact resources required for this kind of work.
Yes, I fully agree flexible should be the default position. Let us keep the dialogue going to improve things now and for all future generations. Let us as organisations have to justify why a job can’t be flexible.
WeThrive.net 👉 Empower your managers to improve your employee experience, and let everyone GO HOME HAPPY!
5yI think you just have to treat people like grown ups. If they are clear on their objectives and what needs to be done by when, they are fully supported and have the tools they need - then what does it matter where they are working from! Life is stressful enough without loading additional pressure when people need to be home for one reason or another. There are of course times when nothing beats being together as a team in an office - but equally there are other times where being at home is infinitely more productive. Who ever said I am going into the office at 2pm on Thursday as I know I will be mega productive???
Retired but in voluntary work locally
5ySome great points made.
Talent & HR Leader | Diversity & Inclusion Champion | People Development | Project Management
5yIt's a shame that in 2019 flexible working is still misunderstood. It's not just mothers who want this and it's not about working part time. It's a father wanting to do the school pick up, it's about flexibility to look after a sick relative, it's working the hours that make you more productive. It's about people like me who have a long journey and want to beat the traffic so WFH 2 days a week or get to work earlier. Its about starting at 830 to do the nursery run, it's companies looking at your output and giving you freedom to choose how you work best to achieve your best. It's about you being the best you.
Founder and CEO of MumPod Company Limited
5yGreat piece Lianne. This is about those saying “no that isn’t an option” to understanding what the options are and be open to see how it can work. This is how I try and get the message across about views of employers when their staff become pregnant. If they strategise for family there wouldn’t be such a negative dramatic reaction when an employee says those words “I’m pregnant”
Marketing & Communications at Cidori
5yAbsolutely!