Tell CBI what you think employers could do for parents to make it easier to balance work and family life? £250 voucher to be won!NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

As part of The Great Business Debate campaign, The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) have asked us to find out what Mumsnetters think employers could do better to make it easier for parents to balance work and family life.

Here’s what CBI say, “The Great Business Debate is a CBI led campaign to help build public confidence in business.

"Only around half of people believe business makes a positive contribution to society and we want to play a part in increasing that figure. We are doing this by:
• Setting out the facts and combatting myths about what business does and the contribution it makes
• Encouraging people to give us their views on business and where it needs to do more
• Providing an opportunity for business to take part in a constructive conversation about what it does and how it does it

"As employees, our experiences of working life have a big impact on our view of business. Companies of all sizes rely on their people for success, and want to make use of the best talents available. But there is an ongoing debate about whether employers are doing enough to ensure parents – and especially mums – are supported to balance their family and work life, without having to sacrifice one for the other. We're sponsoring this discussion with Mumsnetters to hear your views.”

So, what do you think employers could do to make it easier for parents returning to work to find a balance between family life and work? Maybe you’d like more employers to encourage flexible working hours? Or perhaps to prioritise parents when employees request to have annual leave during school holidays? Whatever it is, we’d love to hear it!

Everyone who comments on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win a £250 Love2Shop voucher.

CBI are also hosting a round table event on this topic on Wednesday 26th November in Central London, which will be attended by business leaders and not-for-profit organisations, as well as Justine, our CEO. There are two places reserved for Mumsnetters also. If you’d be interested in attending then please PM me, we will then select two Mumsnetters at random.

Please note: Please be aware your anonymised comments may be re-used by the CBI on their websites, over social media and for broader PR purposes.

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

Allowing more of working at home and more half days off for running those important errands without losing a whole days holiday

Enabling flexible working hours for Mothers and Fathers.

Providing an in house Nursery or After School CLub in bigger firms.

Enabling working from home.

Enabling condensing hours into a shorter week.

Buying or selling holidays to allow for childcare needs.

It would be good if employers could make home working easier. Certain parts of my job, for instance, could be done from home but I would never be allowed. It would be lovely to be there when my son gets home from school. When I used to work for the civil service, they allowed me to work part time, term time which was fantastic. I was always there for my son during the holidays and for school pick up. Over all, I didn't lose much money because had I worked "normal" hours, I would have spent the extra on childcare.

A real commitment to flexi-time and allowing people to work from home where it is feasible.

I feel really fortunate that my employer were great when I returned from work after maternity leave. I made a flexible working request which was approved & they were happy for me to work the same 3 days each work to enable me to book little one into nursery. No complaints there!
The only difficulty I find is managing the cost of nursery - after petrol & childcare, my earnings are extremely minimal. My employer offers childcare vouchers which I make use of, I just wish my husband could get them too!! It would ease the financial pressure a little.
I feel there are so many benefits for both my son & for me in my working & his going to nursery. He has absolutely embraced nursery, has made lots of friends, is brimming with confidence & his vocabulary has improved enormously! As for me, it's great to be working 3 days a week, gives me a bit of a break (ha!) & means I treasure the time I have with my son on my days off :)

what would have helped me the most would have been flexible working hours. I worked for a major supermarket who said it was compulsary to do a weekend day too which as a single parent i couldnt do . They should be more understanding to families circumstances and flexi hours or contracts within school hours would be great for mums especially single parents

more paternity leave - men have children too and need to care for them

flexibility to work from home

More jobs should be output based rather than input. This would enable employers to easily fit part time an job share employees into the business without affecting their outputs at all. Employers should actively manage job shares and potential job shares. While it is "encouraged" where I work (employer very family friendly on the whole) in reality it is like searching for a needle in a haystack to find someone with similar skills who you could share with. HR departments should be monitoring skills and matching people.

Better equality - still women are expected to be the part timers, look after the children, while men are expected to be there all the time. Husband wanted one day per week working from home to enable him to do school run one a week (fairly common where we work) and had to fight for it, still only gets to do it occasionally. Attitude of his boss was "you can pay for more childcare" "your wife can do it".

Definitely recognising that mums aren't the only carers. I have a very understanding employer and get flexi-time but the boys' dad is often expected to work late (missing clubs pickup) and can never get time off for school plays

Flexibility and common sense for all employees. This doesn't just relate to children but also to elderly relatives who may need care. Employers should realise that family will always come first. An employee whose arrangements fit in with their family life will be more grateful to their employer and the results will be increased loyalty. This doesn't just apply to mums but also dads and even other relatives on occasions. Particularly awkward are "baker days", teachers strikes and the fact that some schools close when they are used as polling stations.

More flexibility and more ability to work from home, also trying to be more accommodating when people have to commute, if there are closer places to work let them work there rather than putting them in the furthest place (experienced this personally!!!!) Providing cheap good quality childcare to help families get a better work life balance.

Some really great points here already - I think flexibility for both parents is really important.

That point someone made about childcare for an infectious child also is key.

I personally think that nowadays technology does allow a lot of jobs to be done remotely / from home but their is still too much of an office culture or view that if someone is 'working from home' then they are not pulling their weight. If this mindset could be changed it would help parents out a lot and also would mean people could be so much more productive. Far less office disruptions and not having to commute. Greater job satisfaction from being able to be around to pick up kids / look after kids for part of the day.

Also think more employers should offer longer maternity leave option. I never felt ready to go back until my kids were perhaps a year and a half old and then i was itching to get back to work but my old job was gone as i didn't go back within the time frame.
in summary, More genuine flexibility with a better attitude from employers.

More support for job sharing - promoting it, encouraging people to think about applying for roles as a job share and embracing the benefits. Showcasing successful partnerships. Getting men into job sharing too! Talking positively in the workplace about the contribution of fathers to their children's care.

giving time to your employees.if they need to be off work with them to see what needs to be done.this would actually make it better for both parties in the end becasue working together means each knows where they stand and whats happening so there is a reasonable plan in place that both are happy with and can work around.it often takes comprimise from both sides so find these together.and trust that they can come back to work and work just as well.be flexi with illness but not soft.just care because when you have children or anything actually for instance when u might be caring more for someone than ur average should then you need empathy from others,it can tire you out.leaving you a bit of leway will help lots.

increased access to working from home I think is a must. It has completely revolutionised the way I work and, to be blunt, actually enables me to increase my productivity. Interruptions within an office environment do not correlate with maximum efficiency.

Flexible working hours are also extremely helpful, and I have found that these actually benefit the business more than the individual. By being placed in a position of trust, there is an overwhelming willingness not to abuse that trust. Productivity is therefore increased.

However, there seems to be widespread opinion that working patterns are a "women's issue". Fathers, on the whole, tend to be ignored. Many friends have found that father's requests for flexible working and part time employment are declined. It is important that this changes, not only because it seems to contradict equality legislation, but it can be financially preferable for a mother to work full time and for a father to provide childcare. If a couple decide that a father is to undertake the majority of childcare, it appears to be nonsensical for a mother who earns £75k pa to go part time only for a father who earns £35k pa to work full time simply because of their sex and discrimination in the workplace.

we all think flexability, but seriously balancing work and family life with babies and young children is sometimes impossible, the biggest thing I found was my employer not understanding the needs of my family come first and foremost, allowing me to be change shifts and take time when needed has been a battle and the constant threat of docking pay is dated, the higher up you go the less hassle it appears to put your family first, allow parental time and of course encourage FLEXABILITY

An understanding attitude when life throws the unpredictable at you, such as your child being ill. It is important for parents of school age children to be allowed to take their annual leave during school holidays too

Ensuring viable, properly paid part time roles at all levels. Many employers will agree to reducing hours but not workload which makes it highly stressful.

Not pressuring staff into working long hours which places families in real difficulties.

Flexible hours and working from home where possible. Term time contracts if possible and having effective systems for sharing time off in school holidays across the workforce.

And applying all this equally to males and females and across the workforce.

Flexible working hours without the guilt.

I work for a local authority and was lucky enough to be able to go back part time, have flexi time and get nursery vouchers through my pay which are all a help.

more employers willing to do term time only contracts

I think flexible working hours are a must and the most important thing is help with childcare costs. I have had to leave my job to stay home with our first child otherwise I would've been working full-time just to pay for childcare. Some companies in the USA actually have childcare available at their place of work! How amazing would that be?!

employers need to provide more flexible hours to help parents

Flexible working (where possible) for all employees, so all parents can benefit but also so it's not seen as a 'perk' of parenthood thus causing resentment. Also encouraging a culture where employees are valued for the work they do not the hours they put in, so there isn't the same pressure to be first in last out if you want to progress.

I think flexible working hours and the option to work at home is essential and the key to making life easier for parents.

My DP had a the perfect job where he was allowed to chose his hours, he chose to start at 4am which meant he could leave at 2pm and spend a good chunk of the day with the kids.
They trusted him to do the work expected of him to a high standard and to do it on time, which he did.
Working at home is important for parents too, if parents had the option to do that more then it would take off a huge amount of stress and pressure of juggling childcare around work especially at short notice.
If a job can be done at home then I think there should be an option too, if you prove yourself to be reliable to still get your work done to the schedule and standard you would in the office/workplace then I don't see why it's not more widely an option.
With things like Skype and similar, meetings are still possible, everyone can always contact everyone else.
Business needs to step into the modern world!