How could employers make parents' lives easier? Share your opinions with top businesses

[MumsnetJobsTeam]

Mumsnet Jobs is on a mission to make parents' lives easier. From our Publish Parental Leave Campaign to our flexible-roles-only jobs board, we want to improve the wider understanding of parents' needs in the workplace, and make flexible working the norm.

On the 20th of August, Mumsnet Jobs will be hosting a roundtable event where some of the largest and most flexible employers will gather to discuss how they can support parents in the workplace. We'd love to hear your views on the subject -- and take any questions that you'd like us ask them.

Post below with one change businesses could make to ensure their workplace is supportive to working parents -- or post a question you'd like to ask our guests.

The answers from this thread will be shown during the roundtable, and the questions put to employers in attendance.

Sick leave entitlements for sick children, I mean the type of sick children that are contagious and can't be sent anywhere else eg d&v etc obviously it would have to have some sort of rules behind it as in medical proof or something but it's so stressful when the kids are sick and then having to ring work to pretend to be sick yourself. There are occasions when family can help out like bad cough etc, but certain illnesses it's not fair to leave the child when all they want is mom. This leave shouldn't go against you for future promotions etc either as it is not intentional.

@ym10146 I feel you with that one my partners employers doesn't seem to allow for flexibility with childcare issues so it's left to me to take time off or adjust my hours too suit (granted I get paid for it) but still it would be nice to share the responsibility every once in a while.

Sick leave entitlements for sick children, I mean the type of sick children that are contagious and can't be sent anywhere else eg d&v etc obviously it would have to have some sort of rules behind it as in medical proof or something but it's so stressful when the kids are sick and then having to ring work to pretend to be sick yourself. There are occasions when family can help out like bad cough etc, but certain illnesses it's not fair to leave the child when all they want is mom. This leave shouldn't go against you for future promotions etc either as it is not intentional.

Sick leave entitlements for sick children, I mean the type of sick children that are contagious and can't be sent anywhere else eg d&v etc obviously it would have to have some sort of rules behind it as in medical proof or something but it's so stressful when the kids are sick and then having to ring work to pretend to be sick yourself. There are occasions when family can help out like bad cough etc, but certain illnesses it's not fair to leave the child when all they want is mom. This leave shouldn't go against you for future promotions etc either as it is not intentional.

@ym10146 I feel you with that one my partners employers doesn't seem to allow for flexibility with childcare issues so it's left to me to take time off or adjust my hours too suit (granted I get paid for it) but still it would be nice to share the responsibility every once in a while.

Sick leave entitlements for sick children, I mean the type of sick children that are contagious and can't be sent anywhere else eg d&v etc obviously it would have to have some sort of rules behind it as in medical proof or something but it's so stressful when the kids are sick and then having to ring work to pretend to be sick yourself. There are occasions when family can help out like bad cough etc, but certain illnesses it's not fair to leave the child when all they want is mom. This leave shouldn't go against you for future promotions etc either as it is not intentional.

The four day week is definitely the future

Breastfeeding/ expressing space - not a legal requirement but would reduce immediate issues on returning to work. Just a small private space with a comfy chair is enough.

Encourage people to be really productive in their working hours and then go home.

When you advertise a job, put the salary, the exact location and the hours/days to be worked in the bloody advert.

I'm sick of spending hours applying for jobs I think are doable for me and then finding out I couldn't get there in time from the school run or they wouldn't pay enough to cover my travel.

Mumsnet please check all the jobs currently advertised on this site for this too, it's just not respectful to applicants not to include this information at the very beginning.

Flexible working hours again. Nurseries have cheaper rates depending on time of day, can fit around partner or parents work, can take children to parties and play dates so there's more quality time.

I think respecting that you shouldn't be in work mode once you go home / log off for the evening (unless pre-arranged like a call with a different time zone.) Bombarding me with a zillion emails out of office hours about something trivial to show everyone is still "on it" at 11.30pm is grating. There is usually some misunderstanding as people are trying to multi task, tired, at the gym or have had a glass of wine or 7

So I think having core hours make sense to a business, but allow flexibility. I worked somewhere where the core hours were a massive 9-5, so the only flex was whether you did 8.30 -5pm or 9 -5.30pm really not helpful.

Flexibility and the appreciation that actually people can work well from home

The option to have time off for occasions like dental appointments/ kids’ assemblies which are sometimes short notice but short and could mean maybe 1/2 hours out which is s waste of half day of leave. I think one of the banks has a scheme like this offering x hours off a year for stuff like this. I think it’s a great idea - for all staff, whether child raising or not

The more I read this thread the more I appreciate my own employer.

Flexitime (generous)
No shift work/ fixed days
No notice needed to take flexi or A/L as long as the min numbers are kept to
No presenteeism
No calls outside of work
No one blinked an eye when one of the male directors took a days leave as his baby was sick and his wife had a busy day at her own part time job
No micro managing
No blame culture
Credit given to the right people at the right time
Additional mat pay
Reduced hours
Fair pay

Just needs a creche It'd be the perfect family employer!

I’m going to be controversial. Parents should NOT get special treatment in the workplace.

Flexible working should apply to everyone, not just parents and not just women. Senior management should lead by example.

Working from home should be much more widely accepted than it is. It’s generally much more productive because of fewer distractions, and it’s much greener. Everyone who can work from home should be allowed to do so, not just parents.

So often, in my experience, it is senior management who are the cause of the problems for everyone else and the cause of the ‘presenteeism’ culture. They are the ones who need to stop paying lip service to flexibility and start making it happen. For everyone, not just parents.

Jsmith- I agree

Taking better care of employees GENERALLY is what should be happening.

Unfortunately under the current govt many employee rights and tools to ensure employees are treated well have been removed.

As a disabled person who is currently not working due to ill health, BUT who COULD work IF employers were much more open minded and supportive of employees of all kinds, and in particular weren't SO anti working at home I am incredibly frustrated.

I have 2 degrees, good refs, a good work ethic, plenty of experience...

But I'm currently housebound and even when I'm relatively "well" I cannot guarantee I'm able to leave the house every day.

With modern tech there are a lot of jobs that can absolutely be done at home and I have experience in those roles plus plenty of transferable skills and an aptitude for learning which means I could in all likelihood easily and quickly learn others suited to working this way

But uk employers are FAR too rigid in expectations and beliefs that people working at home will "slack off"!

I did most of my 2nd degree working at home as a single parent with a pre-schooler! I got more done at home than I did in the uni library as I had my own computer (then, don't have one currently) and so wasn't having to jump on and off as per fair sharing rules at uni (if people were waiting to use you could only use for 2 hours at a time) which interrupted concentration/flow of thought. I wasn't having to wait to use the printer, my own computer was quite honestly more reliable as the uni ones were older and the server would crash at busy times, even on the "quiet" floor of the library there'd still be idiots being noisy and messing about.

Now I know a workplace is a bit different - but issues of overloaded servers and interruptions are still factors.

I also had at home a better chair & desk suited to me, better lighting and a keyboard suited to me too.

I also as I'm ageing myself am noticing that more of my peers are caring for elderly parents/relatives and THEY need flexible and supportive employers too.

Employers have GOT To step up and REALISE that TRULY investing in employees, not only in terms of training but in providing a good, healthy, supportive working environment will reap rewards for them too.

Get your heads out of the dark ages and catch up to the 21st century for heavens sake!

Tap into the WEALTH of responsible, hard working, productive future employees disadvantaged by short sighted old fashioned practices that your competition are stupidly dismissing!

Flexibility - provide a good, lightweight laptop and the option of remote working as required. Be open to someone leaving mid afternoon but picking up the rest of their day in the evening. Provide proper systems to remote in and live view things on screen during meetings and presentations. Doesn't have to just be for parents.

Two annual leave days a year for parents to take for school plays, leave work early to collect sick child, with no repercussions

I think flexibility (for everyone not just parents) is key where possible in terms of hours and location.

I also agree it needs to apply to men as well as women though. DH was pretty much told when he asked for flexible working to pick DD's up from nursery 2 days a week that if he had been a woman there would have been no problem, but as he was a man why I couldn't I just do the pick up? The answer being that I work until 9.30pm those 2 evenings (I'm a nurse) and physically couldn't do it.

Yes employers attitudes to fathers often stinks!

My brother was a single dad for a time and while he did have support from his employers, it led to him getting to know more other dads and he heard some shockers!

Including some employers plain not believing there were such a thing as single dads!

Well of course it is more rare but it's not unheard of and in my brothers case (the mother had died, they'd split a couple years earlier) well there really wasn't much choice in the matter! Not that this was his attitude of course but in terms of employers disbelief, stuff happens! Mothers leave or die or become disabled to the point they can't care for DC as happened in another case I know of.

But even dads who are still with the other parent (I have to wonder how the hell such employers would deal with gay dads!) they also want to be involved in their children's lives and go to parents evenings and school plays etc.

Employers need to realise employees don't exist purely to serve their needs.

Very few people live to work, the majority of us work to live and it's time employers got their heads round that.

I really like the 4 day week idea, not only does it give parents and other employees wanting more flexibility and more time to live their lives, but it would mean job creation as the same level of productivity is required by businesses.

This would stimulate the economy which benefits everyone.

Employers need to accept they are part of a society and that their business's will only be as successful as that society is.

A lot of the time day to day stress comes down to local minutiae. For example if there are not enough parking spaces or desks and there's a bunfight for them every morning, working parents with school runs inevitably bear the brunt of it because we have less ability to come in early than others. Pre-kids this wouldn't have been a blip on my radar but as parent of a child with SEN it's huge. It's really stressful having no control over it, having no levers you can pull to overcome structural hurdles in achieving the real basics of somewhere to park and a desk to sit at.

Also I agree that there is real value in employers treating all their employees well, not just those with children. We shouldn't be reduced to playing personal life top trumps over who gets to come in late on Tuesday.

Employers should enable working from home whenever possible. If I was provided with a decent work laptop and vpn solution / work mobile then I could work entirely from home. I would be so much more productive and less stressed. My commute would disappear and I would save a fortune on petrol / parking permit / car wear and tear.

Jobs crafted around outputs not hours. I freelance so I just have a deliverable per client and I can work any day or hour to deliver it. If I want to do 6 hours on a Sunday and not work Monday I can. Office based jobs could do this relatively easily.

Obviously it's more tricky in other industries where workflow is less predictable or its production based.

Giving managers the skills to workforce plan properly is needed.

For business that are recruiting for a part time position to state the salary that they are actually paying and number of hours per week or days they are looking for.

Oh yes and explicitly advertising roles as doable PT or through job share. People can be good and committed employees even if their caring responsibilities make FT hours impossible.