Employers urged to approve more requests for flexible working

Employers should reconsider their policies towards flexible working or risk losing valuable, highly-skilled employees, a recent survey has been able to reveal.

One in five working mums have been forced to leave their jobs after their request to work flexibly was rejected, according to research from specialist jobs website Workingmums.co.uk.

The survey with more than 2,300 working mothers revealed that 38 per cent of respondents still on maternity leave would not return to their jobs if flexible working wasn't granted and 47 per cent were unsure what they would do.

Results showed that 58 per cent said it was the most important factor for their career progression, up from 52 per cent in 2014, confirming the importance of this flexible option for women with children.

The right to request flexible working was extended to all employees last year but the policy has a less rigid timetable for employers and no statutory right to appeal if a request is turned down.

Workingmums.co.uk founder Gillian Nissim commented on the findings, pointing out the dangers of refusing flexible working options: "The impact of refusing flexible working requests is a real business issue. You can see from the survey figures organisations are losing talent," she said. "They are losing people they've spent time and money training, people with knowledge about the business. On top of that these women want to work, there's a real appetite among mums to continue working."

Enjoy improved support for flexible working with the Tensor Time and Attendance systems

Tensor plc supplies an extensive range of workforce management solutions that cater for all the requirements of the modern workplace, including flexible working.

The system can supply working rules for a variety of purposes, from simple determination of overtime by the number of daily hours worked, to the more complex payment of overtime hours adjusted when periodic targets are not met. The system also contains special rules to accommodate the formal flexitime contracts worked by many public sector employees. Workers paid on an annual contract basis can receive reports stating how many contracted hours they have yet to work.

Additionally, our top-range WinTA suite features an On-line Self Service module that allows staff to clock IN or OUT, check hours, request leave + other functions via internet, mobile or other communications.

Furthermore, with the Telephone Clocking module, staff can call in from remote locations to clock IN or OUT or review their flexitime balance or remaining holiday entitlement. After entry of their pass code, an automated, spoken menu guides employees to the option they require.

If you'd like to find out more about the range of workforce management and Time and Attendance solutions supplied by Tensor and just how we can help your company implement thorough and reliable flexible working arrangements, just contact us or Book a Demo, our representatives will be more than happy to answer any questions or queries you might have.