Nick Clegg event on family friendly working - TODAY

[KatieMumsnet]

As the right for all employees to request flexible working (rather than only for parents or those with caring responsibilities) passes into law today, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will be joining an event of London-based Mumsnet and Gransnet users later today to discuss the issue.

You can read more from Nick Clegg on the right to request flexible working, childcare and shared parental leave here, and there’s more about Mumsnet's Family Friendly programme here.

MNHQ will be live-blogging from the event on the thread below, and JustineMumsnet will be at the event putting questions from this thread to the Deputy Prime Minister. So if you've got a question for Nick Clegg on family-friendly working, please do post it below.

I'm a huge fan of the right to request flexible working, and it has worked for me, being I believe a big contributing factor in enabling me to negotiate to work 17.5 hrs per week mornings only when my children were little, from an original contract of 22 hrs including some afternoons.

I can quite see why others, such as grandparents, might need to request flexible working too, but wonder whether there is a danger of the right to ask for flexibility being diluted if it is available to all?

Would be interested in your thoughts on how this might pan out?

I think it is a great idea but can't see it working in practise. It will be more of a pain to administer in small businesses.

Interested that that link (from Nick) was all about increased provision of childcare places for 2 year olds, as I've just got a new job i(starting this summer) in a pre-school starting a new project for 2 year olds

I suppose in general it's a good thing to extend it from parents/carers to all to stop jealousy but forgive me for being grumpy about it... companies like my employer are still able to be 19th Century curmudgeons who completely refuse to even think about it. I know one woman who applied to start half an hour later than general office hours and was turned down, FFS - and I know her job could have been done perfectly well with a 9.30 start. There is NO working from home ever, not even when there's a major transport crisis (that day when the entire rail network was down? Had to take annual leave). This is an office job, not a shop or somewhere where you need to be there to handle the public.

What can be done to stop unreasonable employers who just Do Not Do flexible working At All, even for parents, much less anyone else?

I would like to know if the government has considered any ways to increase the numbers of men requesting flexible working, additional paternity leave, parental leave, etc.

At present I gather the number of men seeking to take up these rights is very low, whilst women are the main participants. The result is that the gender divide in the workplace is simply increasing with every additional such right that exists.

Are there any plans to encourage greater uptake among men?

What Minipie said ... on paper men can do this, but is staffing structure and day to day expectations this is just not the case and many workplaces are shocked when it is required.
How are workplaces and men being supported in seeing this as a viable option?
There is still shock and awe when the parents both earn the same/the woman earns more... this is not unusual anymore so workplaces need practical systems in place to support men working flexibly.

yy adamsaves

The whole culture of flexible working needs to change. So many people work 9 to 5 when the job could be done at vastly different hours. It would help the rush hour hugely too. Some companies are great at thinking in a forward thinking way. Many more are not sadly.

Second edamsavestheday. Who decides whether the employer is being reasonable in turning something down? What's the escalation process if a worker thinks they're being treated unfairly?

Could there be something where, say, three requests turned down unreasonably means an employer gets a fine or something?

Take-up of, for example, extended paternity leave would improve dramatically if it were better paid: it's currently well below the national minimum wage. Are there any plans to improve this, Nick?

It is good to see everyone given the right to request flexible working, and just a shame it has taken so long.

I would like to see the legislation extended to new employees, rather than those who have worked for an employer for X months (is it a year? I can't remember). That would make it easier for people on flexible working contracts to move between employers without having to increase their hours.

I would also like it to be a pre-requisite of all job adverts for the employer to indicate whether flexible workers may apply. Currently moving jobs is very difficult for flexible workers. It is very difficult to filter job adverts to identify those that might be family-friendly. The Civil Service have a 'flag' on all of their adverts to indicate whether they are open to flexibility, and I would like it to be mandatory for other employers to do the same.

What do you think Nick?

I am all for flexible working but it is not the key to helping working families. Cost of childcare is. Many mothers (presuming they are the lower earner as is sadly still the case) are working for free once childcare is paid

Flexible hours may help with the nursery and school-run, but it is not like you can work with young kids in the house so working flexibly or from home doesn't help much. (I have a very flexible hours but it doesn't make much difference - I still have to cram them into the nursery/school day).

Childcare cost is the REAL problem. It is unaffordable. Our joint earnings are way over the national average and we are only just managing (a lawyer and a university lecturer, with help from grandparents). I do not know people on lower wages manage. A lot of my friends have switched to part-time hours because of it.

When is the government going to address the scandal that is the cost of childcare in this country? Childcare vouchers barely touch the sides.

I mean "sadly still OFTEN the case'. Some women are the higher earner of course

MNHQ what time is the event?

I'm worried that extending the right to flexible working to everyone but will make it harder for parents and carers to actually make successful requests in the short-term.

Doesn't it make it impossible for employers to prioritise requests from parents now?

For example, if I asked to start work an hour late after first dropping my children at school, I would now have to compete with any of my colleagues who wanted to do the same whatever their reason - training at the gym, doing a college course or possibly even simply wanting a less busy commute. This doesn't seem fair when the parent's request is borne of necessity not choice.

I appreciate that it should be possible for all employees to work flexibly, but this is a very long way off and in the short term at least I cannot see this leading to more flexible working opportunities, just greater competition for them.

@Me2Me2

MNHQ what time is the event?

Starts at 2pm (ie almost now!)

OK we're here at the lovely PwC offices, packed to the brim, just waiting for arrival of Nick Clegg.

Justine's got the questions so far, but my the magic of new technology (an ipad) we can pass on new ones, so do keep them coming.

Totally back the policy, but just wondering whether parliament grants flexible working to MPs, or the civil service to civil servants for that matter? Or the Lib Dems to staffers? Seems to me there needs to be a cultural shift towards it, and seeing people at the top getting stuck in might help towards that.

And as others have said - is there any redress for the employee who believes s/he has made a fair request, but has had it rejected?

Nick taking the floor - saying 'ask any question, within decent limits'. Ooh he's asking for a question on Suarez and 'why does PMQs look like a kindergarten that's gone nuts.'

Also welcomes back to Jo Swinson, it's her first day back in the office from mat leave.

Nick 'When Jo and I started pushing for this in govt. was told this wouldn't happen. If this is just seen as a 'mums' issue it won't go as far as it needs to. It's a dads issue. Can I speak up for the very many dads who care about their kids as mums do. They need to be liberated to care as much as mums do.' It's not a women's agenda, it's a major societal agenda.

Question from a Miranda, 'the biggest challenge I see is the cultural one' How do we address this and should there be quotas?

Nick 'Agree. If you change the rules without a cultural change, it won't occur, but we do need to nudge.'

Me2Me2 but when the mother is the main wage earner, the reluctance to make men able to work flexibly or part time makes it literally impossible. As in: the parent who has to work to pay the mortgage as theirs is the main wage is the mother, but society expects her to go part time. It is always assumed she will. The father is given no advice/support in flexi working, although they always say he is allowed.
Legislation means nothing if, in the real world, employers are utterly flummoxed by the concept of the man working flexi/from home. Which is the reality... and is indeed one of the reasons for the pay gap, so it's a vicious cycle.

Cari Gransnet: We hear allegation that older people will stay in jobs longer and take jobs from young people?

Nick Clegg - It just doesn't work like that. There isn't one cake of labour, and if some takes a slice, it doesn't mean it's not there for others.

On sandwich generation, I'm in late 40s and so many of us know people who are stretched looking after frail parents. It's very testing and challenging for so many people. So being able to go to sensible employer and ask to work outside traditional office hours makes so much sense.

Cari Gransnet: Do you think people will be as sympathetic to requests from older people?

Nick: My understanding is that about 90% of people with caring responsibilities were granted flexible working.

Tracy: I'm fascinated by fixation on rules, if it's just because legislation says, we won't win hearts and minds.

Nick: I see this as scrapping outdated, patronising rules. It's a liberalisation of rules. I'm an old fashioned liberal and don't like clapped out rules that belong to the Victoria era. People now have the rights to make up their own mind. It's a modern way to get rid of rules.

Nick: It's for us to enable people to do things, not to dictate things. At that's the philosophy in which these changes are being introduced.

Emma: How does this work with shared parental leave? These are new, quite complicated regulations. How do you encourage that nudge?

Nick: Where shared parental leave is a reality (rather than entitlement) there are really quite strong incentives. The offer, is on a 'use it or lose it' basis. I think that might be where we need to end up as a country. I was pushing the idea that we should leap straight to that as of next April. I didn't persuade coalition partners, who thought a leap too far.

So we'll do a big, big change next year, and then will review how it works. I'm very clear that if in subsequent years it's not being taken up, we (the lib dems) then think we should move to the Scandinavian and German 'use it or lose it model'.

Jo S: The review is built in for years after the shared parental leave comes into effect. We're also looking at the communications, as this effects people now as they fall pregnant. So we're going to be communicating to prospective parents and explain how beneficial it can be to have a hands on dad in the early months.