Government’s extra flexible working approved by insurers

by Richard Kilner

Story link: Government’s extra flexible working approved by insurers

Specialist executive search firm GRS has stated that over half of insurance professionals support legal changes designed to enable parents greater flexibility in their working hours, effective from 6 April.

Under the changes parents with children of 16 and under will be entitled to request more flexible hours, a move backed by 50.8% of the 2,500 insurance professionals surveyed.

Previously only parents with children aged 6 and under, or disabled children aged 18 and under, as well as carers for adults had the right to ask for flexible working hours.

However, some 29.8% still want the Government to go further by entitling all workers to the right of flexible working.

Just under a fifth (19.4%) of respondents felt that the new law was excessive and considered rights for flexible working to be in need of curbing.

GRS managing director Lucinda Brown explained the one in five who felt flexible working rights went too far by saying that some feel such employees do not work as hard as those who operate according to a more traditional, rigid timetable.

Brown also highlighted the role that advancing technology played in flexible working, and asserted that it is difficult to see flexi-time being rolled back.

According to the BBC the CBI has backed the move, but warned that firms may find it difficult to acquiesce to requests for flexible working given the difficult state of the economy.