Flexible working is particularly topical given the current discourse around the impending Employment Rights Bill, set to strengthen employees’ expectations of flexible working hours, including talk of compressed four-day working weeks.
Bright Horizons’ Liston-Smith says, “For anyone balancing work and caring commitments, there are three game-changers to make things work. Flexibility is one of them. The other two? Practical supports, including care arrangements; and a network. As we know, it takes a village. Without these enablers, many careers are stalled – entrenching the gender pay gap – or even abandoned.”
Different ways of working suit different roles and organisations. A compressed four-day week “might work for some,” Liston-Smith says, “whereas a job share or flexible rostering will be more relevant in others.” Even with new legislation, it will still need to make sense for both the employee and the employer. And sometimes, the work-life equation needs practical support instead of time.
Listening to your team
Liston-Smith says, “With any workplace policy, it’s important that employers really listen to the needs of their team. We know that working parents need meaningful support from their employers and, according to Bright Horizons’ annual survey of 3,000 working parents in the Modern Families Index 2024, the supports deemed most desirable include flexibility (44 per cent), help with childcare (28 per cent), school holiday cover (18 per cent) and even pet care (9 per cent) – but asking your team for feedback can uncover some unknown needs.”
From back-up care and workplace nurseries to coaching for parents, carers and their managers, offering employees the chance to decide which practical solution would offer them the most flexibility is key to enabling everyone to be at their best.
Embracing flexibility for retention and progression
“It’s one thing securing flexible hours or locations,” says Liston-Smith, “but for some this comes with a career cost.” She reveals that in Bright Horizons’ Modern Families Index 2024, just 63 per cent of women and 71 per cent of men feel able to progress their careers while working flexibly.
Bright Horizons believes it’s important to build cultures where roles and deliverables are clear enough that the individual and their manager can both see whether or not they are performing. This makes the ‘when and where’ less of the focus, it's where and when the type of work allows. Then, people are promoted on actual achievements rather than on visibility through face time or performative ‘coffee badging’.
In customer-facing roles that must be delivered on-site, individuals and teams can be more involved in their own rostering with options such as schedule blocking, shift swapping and sensitive use of split shifts (e.g. around the school run).
Move with the times
“Flexibility only ever works when it’s a win-win.” Liston-Smith says. For her, that means HR professionals should look at all the creative options within their workforce and then add in practical supports, such as back-up care for gap cover, workplace nurseries, coaching or advice on finding care; “because autonomy over time and place only goes so far.”
“Build a culture in which parents and carers can celebrate their professional and personal identities, through networks and other cultural recognition,” she says.
One type of back-up care that Bright Horizons’ clients requested for their working parents was virtual tutoring, for the times when they’re at home working but their children are back from school. “Our app-based childcare platform means employees can access ‘care on demand’ for the myriad ad hoc and ongoing reasons that parents need childcare,” says Liston-Smith.
This support – which covers GCSE Maths and 11+ revision – can range from a one-off booking to cover the unexpected to regular before or after-school care or holiday camps. All solutions mean the employee is present and working, without the stress, and their children are having educational time, which can boost the parent’s sense of engagement and loyalty.
Looking forward
Bright Horizons works with over 400 leading employers in the UK, providing access to a wide range of services, including Back-up Family Care, other practical resources, and expert advice. Data shows these companies have saved over 150,000 working days per year.
If you are an employer and would like to discover more about Back-Up Care you can access our latest Back Up Care + Education Guide.
Alternatively to discuss providing Work+Family benefits with one of our team, please call on 0345 241 5309 or email employerenquiry@brighthorizons.com. Find out more by visiting Bright Horizons’ Work + Family Solutions at solutions.brighthorizons.co.uk.