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Women in the public sector are quitting their jobs resulting from being blocked from (*10*)working flexibly with three in ten seeing their requests rejected, based on a significant new examine.
Researchers at Unison, the UK’s largest commerce union, who polled simply over 44,000 women working throughout the public sector, discovered three in ten working in hospitals, colleges, care houses, city halls, police stations and different key providers had pleas to work flexibly denied.
Some women stated employers informed them to go away their job or use annual depart in the event that they need to work flexibly, whereas others report their requests have been instantly blocked on the identical day they have been put in. Struggles to entry flexible working meant some women had give up their jobs, researchers warned.
Christina McAnea, Unison’s normal secretary, stated: “Too many employers are still turning down flexible working requests, which means the right to request is pretty meaningless for many women. The right to work flexibly from day one would be beneficial for staff and employers alike, and help bring workplaces into the 21st century.”
Helping women juggle work with childcare and caring for family members can allow workplaces to recruit for jobs that are tough to fill and sure enhance the standard of public providers, she added.
Ms McAnea stated: “It’s disheartening to see many employers continuing to deny their staff the opportunity to work flexibly. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
“But sadly many women who find they need to inject some flexibility into their working lives are coming up against employers with inconsistent, rigid and unimaginative attitudes. While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, some form of flexible working is achievable in most workplaces.”
1 / 4 of these women who have been knowledgeable they may not change their working circumstances say their requests have been rejected on plenty of events.
Researchers additionally discovered greater than two fifths of women have been informed they may not work flexibly as a result of doing so would hurt the service being supplied, whereas nearly three in ten have been knowledgeable there wouldn’t be sufficient colleagues to cowl for them.
A fifth had their request rejected resulting from managers saying doing so would consequence in colleagues making comparable pleas, whereas round one in seven weren’t supplied with a purpose by their employer.
New flexible working laws comes into drive in April which supplies workers a statutory proper to ask for flexible working from day one at a brand new job. While that is an enchancment on the present wait of six months to ask, Unison warn employers are too simply in a position to block flexible working requests.
Emily*, who works in the power sector, stated she solely managed to get her flexible return to work from maternity depart agreed simply earlier than she was resulting from return to work.
“The process was horrendous,” she stated. “I had to submit several requests and they were all turned down within days. I was stunned. I was caring for my baby and having huge levels of anxiety simply trying to get some flexibility at work. I was scared I’d lose my job. It dragged on so much I couldn’t sort out childcare. The process left me traumatised.”
While Nadia*, a neighborhood authorities employee with a incapacity, was blocked from working flexibly though she had medical notes written up by her physician.
“I had a very supportive manager during the pandemic and we all worked well during that time,” Nadia, a single mom of two, added. (*3*)
Helen*, a specialist nurse and single mom of three, defined she was repeatedly blocked from working flexibly.
She stated: “I had to go down a pay band to get some flexibility, which put me and my family in financial difficulty. I was told if they allowed me to work flexibly they’d have to do the same for others. But others aren’t in my situation.
“I’m a survivor of domestic violence and have no family support. The process was awful and I was made to feel like a massive inconvenience. Now I don’t want to be a nurse any more and am looking for a new job in retail. I’ve had to take time off because of the stress and anxiety I experienced. It shouldn’t be like this as I do love my job.”
*Names modified
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