Flexible Working – help parents of teenagers gain the right to request

John Hannett - Usdaw General Secretary

The right to request flexible working has helped thousands of Usdaw’s members to shape their working hours around the needs of their families.

At present, only parents whose children are under 6 have the right to request flexible working (and parents of disabled children up to age 18).

Gordon Brown has now said that he will extend the right to parents of older children and the government is conducting a review to see how many parents will be included.

Usdaw want as many parents as possible to have the right – preferably all parents of children up to age 18.

We need to submit as much evidence as possible from our members to the Government’s review of flexible working and we need your help. The more evidence we can give, the more chance we have of extending the right to as many parents as possible.

If you are a parent of a child aged 6 – 18 and you would like to work more flexibly, please reply to let us know:

• Why your working hours are a problem
• How you would like them to be changed
• How this would help you to balance your work and family life better

Similarly, if your hours have been changed and it has helped you, please let us know what the problem was before, and how the change in your hours has helped.

If your children are now grown up and you would have liked to change your working hours when they were younger, it would be very helpful to hear from you about your experience.

Please email us at: parentsandcarers@usdaw.org.uk

If you know anyone with children who would like to work flexibly, please pass this onto them and encourage them to reply.

All evidence that we submit to the government will be anonymous and we will not use real names.

We need to hear from you by 4 February.

Usdaw has negotiated for several companies to accept requests for flexible working from parents of older children already.

If you would like to find out how to apply to work flexibly, please see our leaflet Flexible Working (Leaflet 346) at:

http://www.usdaw.org.uk/equality/resource_library/1109773615_11028.html

John Hannett
Usdaw General Secretary

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