Family Friendly Policies. Who is introducing family-friendly working practices, and why?
What sort of practices do they favour? And do they bring any business benefits? These are the kinds of question examined in a new study published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, The Nature and Pattern of Family-friendly Employment in Britain. The results form a compelling analysis of developments so far in the availability and uptake of family-friendly working practices - but also some intriguing areas where the answers raise further questions.
Headline results The researchers found that family-friendly policies were more likely to be found The study also found that in general family-friendly policies were associated with improvements in productivity and performance. What kind of practices The practices under the microscope in this analysis are: Differences in the effects of different practices The study looked at several areas of performance: These were assessed through a mangers' questionnaire. Employers, communities and family-friendly employment policies. Download as PDF 0.1 MB Large numbers of employees now combine both paid employment and caring responsibilities.
This raises important issues for the organisation of work and family life. New research explores employee and managerial experiences in two different localities and in three different sectors of employment - local government, supermarkets and retail banking - where family-friendly employment policies are being implemented. The researchers - Sue Yeandle, Rosemary Crompton, Andrea Wigfield and Jane Dennett - surveyed employees and interviewed managers, employed carers and care providers. The research team, based at Sheffield Hallam and City Universities, found that: Fifty per cent of employees surveyed, including those with care responsibilities, were unaware of the family-friendly policies of their employers.In both localities, employers had very few links with local care service providers.Relatives were the main source of help for employed carers.
Background Carers' perspectives. The nature and pattern of family-friendly employment policies in. Download as PDF 0.1 MB Against the background of government attempts to encourage employers to adopt more flexible working arrangements, this research analyses a nationally representative survey of employers in Britain, the 1998 Workplace Employer Relations Survey, to find out which employers offered and which employees had access to such family-friendly arrangements.
The data also provided information about whether such arrangements made any difference either to employees' sense of commitment to their employer or to the success of the business. The research, conducted by Shirley Dex and Colin Smith at the Judge Institute of Management, Cambridge University, found that: Employers in large organisations, in the public sector and with recognised unions were more likely to offer flexible working arrangements to their non-managerial employees.The incidence of flexible working arrangements was also associated with employers who had good human resources policies. Background About the project. Anisations, careers and caring. Download as PDF 0.1 MB More women with young children are remaining in employment.
Many employers are introducing flexible policies designed to improve work-life balance, but do they enable women and men to build careers in parallel? Or does work intensification undermine family-friendly policy changes? This study, by Rosemary Crompton and Jane Dennett of City University London with Andrea Wigfield (Sheffield University), interviewed men and women in the banking, supermarket retail and local government sectors in East Kent/Canterbury and Sheffield. It found that: Work-life policies were being visibly improved in the organisations studied, and employees appreciated these new opportunities. Background Since the 1980s, it has increasingly become the norm for mothers of young children, even children under school age, to remain in paid employment.
Against the background of these changes, this study set out to: Employment breaks, flexible working, and employment careers Caring and careers.