Potential increase in demand for flexible working arrangements
This month has seen changes introduced by Liberal-Conservative Coalition Politician, George Osborne come into force which compels single parents to return to the labour market once their youngest child reaches the age of 7.
In June this year, Osborne first announced his budget plan which forces single parents from receiving income support to job seekers allowance once their youngest child reaches the age of 7. The upshot of this change is that single parents will now be required to actively look for re-engagement into paid work else benefits will cease or be cut. Under these changes, it is hoped that £380m of savings can be made to the UK economy to help slash budget deficits. However, notwithstanding that this change has now taken effect, it is still the subject of much criticism, particularly amongst family rights protestors. We have taken this opportunity to speak with Hayley Marshall, one of the team of Employment Law advisers at Bibby Consulting & Support, to see how these recent changes might affect employers.
Hayley explained that “this is a drastic change that will certainly affect many single parents, with reported official estimates suggesting the changes will cause 111,000 single parents of children aged 7 to 9 to return to paid employment. For employers this will mean more staff members needing flexible working arrangements to help them accommodate child care commitments.”
Hayley went on to explain that “this therefore means that employers need to be fully up to speed with understanding their obligations towards employees because of flexible working schemes plus familiarity of all existing and proposed family friendly rights. Not all employees however will have the formal legal right to request flexible working which will offer some reassurances to anxious employers, but with last year seeing the age limit for flexible working increase from children aged under 6 to 16, we are sure to see this ever developing demand for flexible working continue to increase.”
Asked what employers should do, Hayley explained that “employers, if not already aware of flexible working rules, need to get themselves familiar with these ready for any flexible working requests received.”
Hayley is just one of a team of specialist employment law advisers at Bibby Consulting & Support ready to take enquiries from employers about flexible working and other family friendly rights. As such, for any existing clients who have any questions about this news release or specific flexible working circumstances, please call one of the team today on 08453 100 999 quoting your PCN number. If however you are not yet a client of Bibby Consulting & Support, but are interested in learning more about the services Bibby CAS provide, please call Katy Vaughan today on 08453 100 600 for your free no obligation quote.
This News Release is intended to provide a general overview and discussion of the subject matter. It is not however, intended to give advice or to act as a substitute to taking legal advice from our Support Line in any specific situation. Bibby Consulting & Support accepts no liability or responsibility for the information contained within this news release. If you would like specific advice about this subject matter, please contact one of the Employment Law Team today on 08453 100 999.
