Employers positive about flexible working schemes (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Employers positive about flexible working schemes

Nearly eight out of 10 employees with young children have had requests for flexible working granted, according to Government figures.

The Department of Trade and Industry said 77 per cent of parents had their requests fully accepted, while a further nine per cent reached a compromise.

The figures were published to mark the first anniversary of the introduction of family-friendly working rights under the Employ-ment Act.

Since April 2003, parents with children under the age of six or disabled children under 18 have been given the right to get their employers to seriously consider requests to work flexibly.

Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of such parents in Britain have made requests for flexible working a broad term that includes job sharing, working from home and staggered hours, according to the DTI.

More than half (58 per cent) of parents with young children said they were aware of the new rights, the survey of about 3,500 employees found.

Women with children under six were more likely to request flexible working (37 per cent) than men (10 per cent), the data showed.

Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt said the new rights had proved popular with both parents and employers.

She added: "With more women in work that ever, employers cannot afford to ignore the benefits of flexible working including recruitment, retention and staff morale."