Workplace Versatility Not only a Working Mothers’ Issue

‘Right to request’ flexible work not granted for 1 / 2 of UK’s working moms. One out of two have request switched lower while individuals that actually work flexibly face discrimination, survey finds.

1 / 2 of the UK’s working moms don’t get the versatility they request, while individuals which do work flexibly face discrimination, based on market research. Laptop computer of just about 13,000 moms transported by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and also the campaign group Mother Pukka discovered that one out of two had were built with a request flexible working switched lower or only partially recognized by their current employer. Frances O’Grady, the TUC secretary general, stated laptop computer uncovered the failure from the system, using the legal “right to request” flexible working getting experienced spot for 2 decades. “The current product is damaged. Employers have free rein to show lower demands for flexible working. And ladies are extremely scared to inquire about flexible working at selection interviews, for anxiety about being discriminated against,” she stated. Laptop computer found 86% of ladies working flexibly stated they’d faced discrimination and disadvantage at the office, two in five (42%) stated they’d fear discrimination when they requested about flexible your meeting, and also the same percentage stated these were concerned about their employer’s reaction when they requested for flexible work.


Video advice: he finally understands why people compare women to tigers �� flexibility stretching


working women discuss workplace flexibility

Looking at our survey data, only 2% of men are the primary caregiver, so you can imagine 98% of men have support in their home life and that allows them to go out and get into leadership positions. So we see this as a huge gap in what women can actually contribute to work and to the economy.

on why women seek out flexible work – Randstad’s own Marie-NoĂ«lle Morency recently sat down with Tellent founder and entrepreneur, Jennifer Hargreaves, to discuss some of the most pressing issues women are facing in their workplaces today. From their thoughts on why women seek out flexible work more than men, to their discussion about the merits of results-focused work, to whether they believe men and women should share parental leave, there are some great insights worth checking out.

Workplace Flexibility Should Be Gender-Inclusive, Not Just a Benefit for Working Mothers

For many years, when we talked about “workplace flexibility” or “flex time,” most people really only thought it applied to working mothers. But workplace flexibility has always been something fathers value, too. And the conversation about flexible work is becoming more and more gender-inclusive. A flexible workplace has always been important to me: early in my career as an aspiring professional, then a corporate employee, and now as a father and entrepreneur. When I worked as a corporate marketer inside a Fortune 500 company, I felt constrained by the traditional work structure and how flexibility was perceived by the organization. Ten years ago, true flexibility just wasn’t accepted. I built my own firm partly to create more flexibility for myself and others who want the same things. In late 2015, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced he’d be taking two months of parental leave following the birth of his first child and expanded the company’s parental leave policy to grant four.

The Cost to Employees – Those in positions of power need to lead by example and allow men, as well as women, to have flexible schedules. For many years, when we talked about “workplace flexibility” or “flex time,” most people really only thought it applied to working mothers. But workplace flexibility has always been something fathers value, too. And the conversation about flexible work is becoming more and more gender-inclusive. A flexible workplace has always been important to me: early in my career as an aspiring professional, then a corporate employee, and now as a father and entrepreneur. When I worked as a corporate marketer inside a Fortune 500 company, I felt constrained by the traditional work structure and how flexibility was perceived by the organization. Ten years ago, true flexibility just wasn’t accepted. I built my own firm partly to create more flexibility for myself and others who want the same things. In late 2015, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced he’d be taking two months of parental leave following the birth of his first child and expanded the company’s parental leave policy to grant four months of paid leave to all full-time workers (male or female).

WORKING MOTHERS FACE DOUBLE BIND OVER TIME AND WAGES

FOR RELEASE:Wednesday, May 8, 2002, 9:00 a.m. CONTACT: Nancy Coleman or Karen Conner (202) 775-8810 PRESS RELEASE WORKING MOTHERS FACE DOUBLE BIND OVER TIME AND WAGES Although three-quarters of the mothers of school-age children are now in the workforce, most workplaces are doing a poor job when it comes to enabling those mothers to meet…

This is the message of a new report by University of Vermont economist Elaine McCrate, Working Mothers in a Double Bind, that was issued today by the Economic Policy Institute at a special Working Mothers’ Day roundtable at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. McCrate’s study of work schedule flexibility and wage differentials dispels two common assumptions about the workplace today.

With more employers offering more flexible working hours than in the past, many economists have theorized that these new arrangements are making it possible for the growing number of working mothers to better balance work and childcare responsibilities. Yet McCrate’s research finds that the new workplace flexibility is not a boon to most working mothers because it is not available to them. Rather, it has become a perk for higher paid, higher ranking employees who are mostly white men. The disparity is most acute between white males and minority workers.

The comments from Simon Murray, Chairman of Glencore, about the inherent risk of hiring young women, have stirred the pot on workplace flexibility.

The point is this: workplace flexibility and work-life balance are issues for all working professionals. Paternity and maternity are just one form of workplace flexibility, and to focus on those areas alone as reason for denying flexible work in general, or denying someone a job because they *might* have a baby in the future is missing the point.

“Women are quite as intelligent as men. They have a tendency not to be so involved quite often and they’re not so ambitious in business as men because they’ve got better things to do. Quite often they like bringing up their children and all sorts of other things…. All these things have unintended consequences. Pregnant ladies have nine months off…. Do you think that means when I rush out, what I’m absolutely desperate to have is young women who are about to get married in my company, and that I really need them on board because I know they’re going to get pregnant and they’re going to go off for nine months?


Video advice: The Future of Work-Life Balance and Workplace Flexibility


How American Mothers Can Launch a Social Movement for Workplace Flexibility

Over the past fifty years, American mothers have been entering the paid workforce in greater numbers than ever before. The transition has not been easy, as women struggle with how to combine paid work with care-giving in the home.

Some women with the means to do so have chosen to be stay-at-home mothers. Now in the minority, these moms often find themselves doing difficult work in isolated circumstances; and too often they have felt stigmatized for “not living up to their personal potential” in an era where women’s worth is increasingly defined by holding a paying job.

Women who work outside the home by choice or economic necessity have likewise faced a host of problems. Although some scholarly research finds psychological benefits for women and their children, many job-holding mothers actually “in the trenches” feel overwhelmed. This can be true even for women who have partners at home. Although fathers have increased their contributions to household-based work over the past several decades, mothers continue to shoulder the predominant burden – even when they must do so upon arriving home after a full day at work. Regardless of many couples’ good intentions, truly shared parenting is not so easy to achieve in practice. Many mothers report there are not enough waking hours to satisfy workplace demands without shortchanging their families.

Pandemic impact: Most working mothers have stopped work or work less

Recent findings suggest that working parents are still not getting the flexibility needed to balance the demands of childcare with working life – made glaringly obvious by the pandemic. This lack of flexibility appears to be creating an ‘either-or’ situation, with the juggling act becoming unsustainable and mothers being hit the hardest.

1,017 UK professionals were surveyed to find out how the pandemic had affected their roles as workers and parents. Of the working mothers who were no longer working, almost a third said they either had to stop working or take a sabbatical in order to accommodate childcare. The remainder were forced to stop working due to redundancy.

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Extra paid leave: Some businesses have expanded their maternity leave policies to go beyond the standard 26 weeks of ordinary maternity leave and 26 weeks of additional maternity leave for those who are working whilst pregnant. In addition, employers such as Aviva and Etsy provide ‘gender blind’ parental leave, which entitles all parents-to-be, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender, whether they have given birth, gone through a surrogacy arrangement or chosen adoption, to 26 weeks leave on full basic pay.

How reopened schools and workplace flexibility benefit working women – In a new Deseret News event, experts discuss why the pandemic put women out of work and what can be done about it.

Rachidi said the private sector can play a bigger role. After she had children, she said she had a conversation with her boss about how she could still have the flexibility to do her job while working remotely. She wishes more female employees would have experiences like that with their employers.

  • Opening schools
  • Private and public solutions

Flexible working requests and working mums

The survey reported that half of the working mums who responded said their employers either rejected their flexible working request entirely or only accepted part of their request. Additionally, 86% of the almost 13,000 mothers who took part in the survey said they have faced discrimination and disadvantage at work as a result of working flexibly.

Discrimination and disadvantage – The Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the flexible working campaigner, Mother Pukka, recently carried out a survey of almost 13,000 working mums on flexible working. The results have shown that, despite the recent working from home arrangements that have been in place for many employees over the last 20 months, many organisations have inflexible ways of working in place for working mums. That said, it is important to remember flexible working requests are not limited to working from home, but include a number of different working arrangements to help individuals manage their work and personal life commitments, such as caring responsibilities.

Moms Are Less Likely To Return To The Workforce Post-Covid—Here’s How Employers Can Help

Nearly 1.1 million women left the workforce between February 2020 and March 2021. If employers want to attract workers post-Covid, they must create equitable workplaces, especially for working moms and dads. Here’s how businesses can meet the needs of parents in the workplace.

According to a survey of more than 1,800 people conducted by Syndio and The Female Quotient, 69% of parents with kids in the home said they are looking forward to returning to work, compared with 67% of people without kids at home. It’s easy to see why—being a Zoom parent and teacher proxy while also working remotely amid an ongoing pandemic and multiple lockdowns was no easy feat.

Flexibility not only applies to hours and scheduling, but also location. Almost two-thirds (63. 7%) of parents who intend to work after Covid said flexibility in where they work after Covid is more important than it was before, compared with 56. 8% of people without kids at home. Parents should be able to participate in a Zoom call from the car while they are waiting in the carpool lane, or to set hours that align with their child’s school schedule. At the end of the day what matters most is getting it done, not when or where it gets done.


Video advice: Don’t Underestimate Working Mothers


References:

Second, the double burden of household work and outside employment can impair women’s ability to ensure the good health of their children, if only by reducing the time available for childcare activities (since men typically show great reluctance to share the domestic chores).

“India: Development and Participation” by Jean Drèze, Amartya Sen
from India: Development and Participation
by Jean Drèze, Amartya Sen
Oxford University Press, 2002

The degree to which mothers felt they could alter their own job schedules was mildly related to reduced stress levels, and, for single mothers, perceived flexibility was associated with job satisfaction.

“Handbook of Community Psychology” by Julian Rappaport, Edward Seidman
from Handbook of Community Psychology
by Julian Rappaport, Edward Seidman
Springer US, 2000

If your employer has a policy that seems unclear or unfair on pregnancy, childbirth, or related issues, contact a committee on occupational safety and health (COSH) or other workplace health advocacy group for support.

“Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth” by Boston Women's Health Book Collective, Judy Norsigian
from Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth
by Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, Judy Norsigian
Atria Books, 2008

The stress and tension created by an unsupportive work environment can be avoided if the mother speaks frankly with her employer about her plans to breastfeed.

“Counseling the Nursing Mother: A Lactation Consultant's Guide” by Judith Lauwers, Debbie Shinskie
from Counseling the Nursing Mother: A Lactation Consultant’s Guide
by Judith Lauwers, Debbie Shinskie
Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC, 2004

Employers can also accommodate mothers with appropriate physical facilities for tending to their breastfeeding needs, as well as a policy of support among coworkers.

“Counseling the Nursing Mother” by Judith Lauwers, Anna Swisher
from Counseling the Nursing Mother
by Judith Lauwers, Anna Swisher
Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2015

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