Disconnect found over the issue of flexible work

LinkedIn has claimed to have revealed evidence of a ‘disconnect’ between employers and employees over the issue of flexible work, as most working parents feel their employers are not fully open about their parental policies. Personnel Today reports that the survey results were published to mark, according to the social network, the first day of 2019 when working families begin being paid for the year once childcare costs are taken into account. The survey provided evidence that professionals felt they were being left in the dark when it comes to parental policies, with a third (37%) not even aware of what support their workplace provides for new parents. Flexible working was cited by 38% of workers as the most desirable policy for supporting parents, and nearly nine in 10 (84%) UK businesses think it helps employees achieve better work/life satisfaction.

A third of Brits (30%) say that flexible working is so important they would prioritise it over a more prestigious role. And, reports HR Magazine, the IWG Global Workplace Survey also found that almost a third (28%) of UK employees value being able to choose their work location more than an increase in pay, and that 73% believe flexible working has now become socially accepted. Organisations are responding to employees' calls for flexibility, according to IWG. In the past 10 years, 84% of businesses have introduced a flexible workspace policy, or are planning to adopt one. However, the report says, some businesses have been slow to take up flexible working policies. More than half (58%) of those surveyed say that changing the culture in organisations that have longstanding, non-flexible arrangements is the main barrier.