to think Mary Berry is at best naive, and at worst deluded, about feminism?

[MardyBraWouldDoEddieRedmayne]

Times link if you can get through the paywall
free Daily Mail link

Apparently feminists are shouty. We should enjoy being "looked after" and gently persuade our menfolk with our feminine wiles to do what we want. It's alright if you're surrounded by well-meaning malleable blokes.

No mention of equal pay, equal voting rights, equal employment opportunities, freedom from sexual discrimination or harrassment, etc. No - all you need to do, is "persuade them [men] gently to do things and, of course, when they come back they say, ?Oh, wasn?t that fun?? Try telling that to victims of domestic violence Mary...

Don't know why I'm even bothering to reply.

Ok, lighthearted example of change. BigDog comes to the office with me. I originally hid her from clients, professional colleagues visiting the office etc because I worried about the perception that having the dog in the office wasn't professional. Turns out that everyone loves the idea and she now spends more time in the boardroom than I do. We now have two full time dogs and one part time. Sometimes you have to shake up traditional ideas and practice.

And by evolving and adapting, companies tend to go from strength to strength. By clinging to outdated working practices, companies struggle to survive in general. 90% of MY role is restructuring struggling businesses of all shapes and sizes so I see it daily.

Moon, I get that but that's exactly how I started.

There are other solutions than flexitime and remote working but I appreciate that not all businesses can adapt.

Does that mean that those who can, shouldn't do so ?

We used to have jobs for life, now many people are lucky if they get a 6 month contract. Things have got tougher, insecurity has increased, competition has increased. Rewards have increased for the lucky ones, but insecurity is now behind every door and no one can be certain how long the good times will last.

Globalisation has made the entire world a competitive arena, and that is why most people have to work harder for less. Some areas have been cushioned so far, but they will see teh same thing that teh blue collar workers saw and that the middle management white collar workers saw.

That is why our rights are now being slowly removed under the "austerity" imposed by the elite. The mantra is we must be competitive in a globalised world. We can't stop the locomotive, we are in it for the ride.

So you have an office based job then? I cannot relate to that at all.

If they can then of course but its the tunnel vision that is bothering me where some people think that all businesses and companies can and should do flexible working. There are so many different types of work forces out there and very few know or understand the differences and difficulties within those work places.

So for someone to come along and say you can do something without any knowledge of the ins and outs of that business is just not right imo.

Moon. 50/50 most times. The times I'm out of the office, I'm at someone else's business advising them how to get out of financial difficulty so I really do appreciate both sides of the argument. But the majority of businesses I advise resist change because they don't want to, not because it's not possible.

I appreciate that your industry may well be one of the exceptions.

Claig, please stop telling me why things can't change. Have you ever thought it would be more productive to implement change rather than just blindly dismiss it because we're all doomed and the end of the world is nigh.

'Claig, please stop telling me why things can't change. Have you ever thought it would be more productive to implement change rather than just blindly dismiss it because we're all doomed and the end of the world is nigh.'

I don't believe in anthropomorphic climate change, I didn't believe Gordon Brown when he said we have only 50 days left to save the planet.

Before you implement change, you need to understand what is going on around you. You need to understand what your competition is doing. I don't believe in implementing change for change's sake.

Maybe your profession does not yet face the fierce competition that many other businesses face - competition that has seen our manufacturing industry decline. But things will change. Just as Virgin now runs trains, new companies will break barriers in the traditional professions. Competition will increase and shorter hours and flexi-work is likely to fly out of the window.

I think at the moment though people are just happy to have a job because of all the cuts and redundancies. The last job I filled I had over 100 applicants whereas before it would be around 10 to 20. At the moment people are grateful for any hours so having a choice and being picky over what hours they want to do is not an option at the moment. My dh hates doing 12 hour days but it is what has to be done. I am coming up with all sorts of knew things to bring customers in. Everyone is doing what they can.

Anyway............still disappointed that MB appears to have not recognised the positive changes that feminism has brought and that article seems to have reinforced the negative view many have of feminism.

Agree, MoonLighter. Well done to you and your husband putting the hours in. You are providing employment to people and are the backbone of the country.

Moon, that's tough. Have you looked into any local authority schemes to assist people back to work. In my area they still have plenty of government funds to throw at these incentives. I had one client take on 2 staff and had their salaries paid by the fund up to £10k each for the first year. He made up the difference but it really helped his cash-flow during a tight time. You really have to hunt out these schemes but might be worth considering. We do about 4 applications a month and most are successful and cover long term unemployed or unskilled through to graduate placements.

I thought that with the increase in part time jobs and zero hours contracts more people were working less for less...

There is a bit of a split in terms of working. If you are one of the lucky individuals who has chosen to specialise in a true shortage area then you are part of what is known as the 'war for talent' and you can demand all sorts of changes n work patterns etc. Whilst there is no such thing as a job for life (and hasn't been for many many years now) the corollary is that employees are no longer automatically loyal. They will and do move on.

That might not feel very real to people struggling to find and keep work, but it is a significant strategic risk for many companies (I'm a risk manager and it is a consistently quoted concern, and one of my own organisation's top risks right now).

Oh, and we have parental leave split between mother/father and it is not unusual or frowned upon for the dads to take their share. I can also recall a first meeting with a high flying CEO who told us on his first day that he would be leaving early twice a week to pick up his child from school. It is not impossible. Recognition that it's about what you achieve and not how long you take to achieve it is already happening.

I'm sad about Mary Berry. I hope that the interviewer twisted her words - it certainly sounds as if some very leading questions were used.

Blistery the thing is we do not have problems in those areas. Finding staff iis easier now than ever due to the amount of people looking for work. We do not have vacancies come up that often because our staff tend to stay for years at time. They like the hours so there is no problem.

I was at home with the children and when my dc started school I created a job for myself in the business. It does not bring in a wage per se because the business profit comes into our house anyway. But what it does do is bring in nose customers through what I make to sell and it gives the business that little extra edge over competition. I did not complain about it, I just got on with it and used a little imagination. I don't suppose mary berry or m thatcher got where they did from cosy 9 am starts and 5pm finishes or whatever. They got where they did career wise through doing the difficult unsocialable hours and going the extra mile without wanting everyone to bend over to accomidate.

That is just my opinion.

Anyway I pretty much agree with blistory. Obviously flexible working won't work for every company and it isn't mandatory. However if you can offer flexible working (e.g enable staff to work remotely, have some control over their hours) you are providing your staff with a non cash benefit which makes you a more attractive employer without hitting your bottom line.

Nothing non competitive about that.

Blistery the thing is we do not have problems in those areas. Finding staff iis easier now than ever due to the amount of people looking for work. We do not have vacancies come up that often because our staff tend to stay for years at time. They like the hours so there is no problem.

I was at home with the children and when my dc started school I created a job for myself in the business. It does not bring in a wage per se because the business profit comes into our house anyway. But what it does do is bring in nose customers through what I make to sell and it gives the business that little extra edge over competition. I did not complain about it, I just got on with it and used a little imagination. I don't suppose mary berry or m thatcher got where they did from cosy 9 am starts and 5pm finishes or whatever. They got where they did career wise through doing the difficult unsocialable hours and going the extra mile without wanting everyone to bend over to accomidate.

That is just my opinion.

I think mrs thatcher worked a lot from home.

MoonLighter, here is Clegg for you

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2231570/Neighbours-friends-time-care-YOUR-children-Cleggs-latest-flexitime-free-all.html

'People will even be able to ask for flexible working to enable them to volunteer in schools, hospitals and care homes.'

'But a senior backbench Tory MP warned that the ?crazy? plans would be just another burden on Britain?s hard-pressed small businesses'

The Tory is right. These policies will destroy the competitiveness of many of our businesses. In teh long run, it will harm employment prospects for people in this country. In the end it will all be rolled back.

The bureaucrats and public school boys, who have never worked in industry, will have to admit they got it wrong, and they will have to start listening to business people - people like Mary Berrry and MoonLighter, just as Margaret Thatcher did.

I think the key phrase there is 'ask for'. Nobody has ever suggested that workers should be able to choose their hours at the expense of their employer. He is just suggesting that the current right to ask for flexible hours without fear of discrimination be extended. If flexible hours don't work for your company just say no.

'Employers will have to come up with a good reason if they turn a request down.'

I am sure that the barristers and solicitors and professions and old-boy public school networks will make money out of taking hard-working businesses - the backbone of the country - to court.

Parents have had this right for a decade - not much publicity about court cases if any have occurred.

Blistory - although many industries canaccomodate flexible and home working some just cannot. Farming for instance. I just can't hop off my combine on an August evening at 6pm to either pick up kids or create a better life balance. My staff cannot have flexi working because hens don't stop laying eggs, animals have to be fed and alarms to off at 2am that have to be investigated otherwise we have a lot of dead pigs on our hands.

I think Mary berry has a bit of a point that women do just need to get in with stuff sometimes. I do however believe in feminism - I wouldn't be driving my combine without it! I'm about to have my first baby - due this wk but I'm still doing what I can at work because I'm fit and healthy and it's my business. The other girls on my antenatal course all gave up work 5-8 wks ago, one did have health problems that needed rest but the other girls have not.

Clegg, the public school boy who is very probably also a millionaire, is extending it.

'A Lib Dem source said: ?At the moment, grandparents in their 50s and 60s who are still working would not be eligible to apply for flexible working. If they could do it, they could pick up the kids from school twice a week, for example.
It would clearly reduce the burden on mothers.?

But Brian Binley, a Tory member of the Commons business select committee, said: ?Here we go again with another crazy plan.
?The effect of this on small businesses could be sizeable. I am sick to death of people that don?t understand that our nation needs to earn a living in what is a more competitive world.?

A spokesman for the Institute of Directors said: ?We are not big fans of the right to request flexible working in general, and we do not think this extension is a sensible thing for business.

?It?s extra red tape, extra burdens ? and is a funny thing to do when the Government is saying, ?We?ll cut regulation for all business?.?

Margaret Thatcher, daughter of a grocer and grammar school girl, understood the pressures that our businesses face.

The silver-spooned toffs at their elite public schools that cost £30,000 odd a year and who had gilded careers in politics and law without setting sight on businesses or a business person, are divorced from the realities of business life.

But fortunately, Cable has some sense

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1367411/Cable-slams-breaks-flexi-working-small-businesses-rights-refuse-employees-demands.html