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Original poster

if you have a good flexible / family friendly employer, who do you work for?

62 replies

burpies · 07/08/2020 06:53

Just want to know which employers are actually flexible? My current employer has the family friendly policy / flexible working on its job page but in reality they're not. When I got the job I asked if I could work 8-4 and got a straight no!

It's got me thinking which employers actually are and aren't just giving lip service.

Is the NHS? Local authority? Private sector?

OP posts:
peachypetite · 07/08/2020 06:56

I’ve worked at a range of places during my career and the best have been Universities and charities

peachypetite · 07/08/2020 06:56

Also friends have a lot of flexibility in the civil service

Cooper88 · 07/08/2020 06:56

I work for a small company with less than 30 people working for them, and they are very family friendly, not just the management but the whole company. We are in the care industry and we all help each other out to cover what needs covering. Obviously if you start to take the P then you wont get anywhere but if you explain what is going on etc then they all do what they can to help. So lovely to finally work for a company like that.

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SnuggyBuggy · 07/08/2020 06:57

Watching. Part of the reason I didn't go back after mat leave was that my area seemed to be getting less and less flexible.

mintyt · 07/08/2020 06:57

Private very good apart from days paid for sickness. Set up working from home quickly good pay an benefits

ChilliBeanSauce · 07/08/2020 06:58

I work in a relatively low paid job in the financial sector, but my employer is brilliant. I had to work inflexible hours for the first year and pay for after school childcare, but after that I got to propose my own hours, they accepted and I can now work round school hours. I’ve also always worked from home and they set me up brilliantly.

ChilliBeanSauce · 07/08/2020 06:59

It’s a huge organisation, head office in the States.

CatToddlerUprising · 07/08/2020 06:59

Civil service, I’ve found it very flexible

BikeRunSki · 07/08/2020 07:03

Public sector, Environment Agency - we’ve had flexi time for 20 years! Very open to flexible working requests, brilliantly supportive over lockdown/school closures. Some operative roles work in pairs. These roles can’t support flexi so much, but they have 1/4 Non Working Fridays instead, and set their start/finish times locally.

BananaSpanner · 07/08/2020 07:07

The Police.

They have offered plenty of flexibility but if I were to ask for a straight 8-4, they would probably deny it in my current role or move me to a role that allowed those hours. They also expect that in the case of childcare, both parents are utilised, they wouldn’t want to allow you to work those hours if there was another parent available who could take some of the load and apply for some flexi working also.

TheClitterati · 07/08/2020 07:10

Very small private company in entertainment biz. Very family friendly, totally flexible & accommodating.

Gizlotsmum · 07/08/2020 07:12

Utilities, water company. Flexibility depends on role (they have to consider flexible working requests but some roles don't allow as much flex as others).

Hawse · 07/08/2020 07:15

Civil service - extremely flexible (but only in the right department and role). I currently work for such a department and absolutely love the role I was doing before maternity leave, but there are certainly others I have worked in where WFH/ flexible hours/ job shares were actively discouraged (though technically 'available'). And depending if you are in a brexit heavy department or role, the reality is that you may work flexibly, but you end up doing so many extra hours anyways that it may not make a huge difference...

motheroreily · 07/08/2020 07:15

Higher education in an admin role.
I have to say I don't enjoy the job and am not part of a team which is difficult. But I'm completely autonomous and can set my own hours (mainly because I don't interact with anyone else). But that's the reason I stay there.

Molly500 · 07/08/2020 07:17

My job is very flexible, in that I just have to work my hours and can do so as I like. I work for a charity. However, I did a similar job at my last place which was also a charity and it wasnt anywhere near as flexible.

Original poster
burpies · 07/08/2020 07:18

peachypetite. I used to work for a charity. It was flexible working for everyone except the admin staff, which is me. 🙄

Yes, definitely depends on your job but my jobs can be so done flexibly or even from home. I would love a job that allowed me a bit of home working with a bit in the office. That would be my dream!

OP posts:
Original poster
burpies · 07/08/2020 07:20

Universities and civil service is coming out on top so far!

OP posts:
speakout · 07/08/2020 07:20

I can work any hours I like.
I can stop work in the middle of the working day if I don't want to work anymore.
I can work weekends or not as I choose.
I can work for a few hours early in the morning.
I can take as many holidays as I like.
I can work in my yoga pants.

Self employed.
I can do a yoga session in the middle of my working day.
I have no boss.
I have no commute.

ginsparkles · 07/08/2020 07:21

I work in retail for a small family business. They are really great at putting family first and making sure we don't miss key events in our families lives. My days off are moved around to ensure I get to every school performance/service. If I have issues and need to pick her up from school they will accommodate. We are one big family and all pull together to help each other out when we need to.

CMMum88 · 07/08/2020 07:21

The civil service.

Mumof1I · 07/08/2020 07:22

GP practice.

PurBal · 07/08/2020 07:23

A charity

LittleGungHo · 07/08/2020 07:24

Defence companies are good in my experience

unkindnessofravens · 07/08/2020 07:26

Civil service here too

OttilieKnackered · 07/08/2020 07:28

University. It’s quite uneven over the institution (which can depend on managers’ whims as much as role) but overall pretty flexible and with such a generous holiday package it feels even more flexible (35 days plus bank holidays plus Christmas shut down!!)