For too long, flexible working has been spoken of as something niche – required by the few – mainly women, needing to fit work with family – with requests granted in order to retain their talent. As an employee benefit and a retention tool, at best. By Karen Mattison MBE, the co-founder of Timewise.
New research we have carried out has just released (‘A Flexible Future for Britain?’) reveals flexibility isn’t ‘required’ by parents alone, but is actively sought by people from all backgrounds, and for all kinds of reasons. Most crucially, it isn’t being used often enough as a tool with which to attract talent – and means a missed trick for business. An estimated 8.7 million full time workers in the UK – accounting for around 2 in every 5, actually want to work part time or from home more often, starting right now. Roughly half are men and half are women, proving that this isn’t a gender thing. Rather, it’s a talent thing – as many are looking for brand new jobs. Which means that HR directors and recruitment managers need to take note of this emerging trend, in order to keep attracting the brightest and best.
So, could this be the year that flexibility hits the mainstream? Let’s look at how many people currently work flexibly in the UK at the moment. At first glance, the figures reveal what looks like plenty to get excited about. The UK workforce is 30 million people strong. More than a quarter, or 8 million of those people are already part time (working 30 hours a week or less). As revealed by the Office for National Statistics earlier this month, 4.2m people now work from home more frequently than they do from the office. In addition, on June 30th, the legislation around flexible working in the UK will change so that any worker can ask for it (currently just parents of under 18s and carers have the legal right to do so) in theory making it easier to ask for flexibility in existing jobs.
While this makes it sound as if the UK has evolved in terms of work, a simple fact remains. The market for flexible work has always been, and is still heavily dominated by low paid jobs. In fact, just 3 per cent of all vacancies in the UK offer part time hours and salaries of £20,000 or more (full time equivalent). This perceived ‘ceiling’ in the jobs market for flexible professionals leaves 3 in 4 feeling ‘trapped’ in their current jobs – unable to move up in or out of those roles, without having to sacrifice their hard fought for flexibility. This issue connects to two key issues affecting businesses across all industries – the shortage of skilled candidates for niche roles, and the lack of female candidates for board level roles.
I launched Timewise to tackle precisely this problem. We know that the pool of talent made up by people who need such jobs are skilled, experienced and diverse – because we represent 58,000 of them. Whether they are searching for work they can fit with caring responsibilities, or a wish to set up their own business in their spare time, or that simply allows them more ‘space’ in their week – all report the same problem… that employers aren’t clear enoughin the recruitment process about working patterns, from the start. They tell us that trying to have a conversation with a business about whether they are open to flexibility or not can be like feel like a game of poker, leaving you unsure of when to show your hand. 42 per cent fear that talking honestly about your need for flexibility at all, will damage your chances of getting the job.
Yet when we spoke to 500 hiring managers recently, we found that roughly 9 in 10 (91 per cent) were very open to discussing alternative working patterns within the recruitment process – but they only say so up front in 25 per cent of the jobs they advertise. In addition, a candidate’s chance of being able to find a good quality flexible job reduces, as they ascend the career ladder. From our research, we estimate that just under a third of managerial level roles have been advertised with flexible working possibilities in the past 12 months, reducing to 14 per cent for director roles and just 9 per cent jobs for leadership posts.
In a bid to change people’s perceptions of what kind of roles suit flexible working structures, I have just formally launched the search for our third annual 'Power Part Time List' – a roll call of 50 men and women who work in seriously senior jobs, achieving incredible things and leading amazing businesses – all on less than 5 full days a week. Each year I build the list to show people an alternative working world- that focuses on what is possible, rather than what is not. So, will this be the year that flexible working hits the mainstream? Though it is desired by the many, probably not. Much needs to be done before systemic change can take root – starting with changing people’s perception of what a part time job is or can be.
If you know someone in a truly senior job, who works less than 5 full days a week, please do nominate them for our List via http://timewise.co.uk/power-part-time/. Doing so is free, quick and easy. Our prestigious judges include Steve Varley, the UK managing partner & chairman of EY, Andy Saunders, the deputy editor of Management Today magazine, Karen Blackett, the CEO of MediaCom and Katie Bickerstaffe – the CEO of Dixon's £4bn retail business, who works part time herself. The final List will be published in the Financial Times at the end of the year.
