Challenging
times: flexibility and flexible working in the UK
TUC, 20 December 2005
This new TUC assessment of flexible working in the UK sho ws that more than
one in ten employees - 2.3 million - would like to work fewer hours even if
this involved a cut in pay but are not able to do so.
One
in three UK staff fail to take full holiday entitlement
Personnel Today, 21 December 2005
Research carried out by YouGov has found that a third of UK workers will not
take their full holiday entitlement in 2005, despite complaints of being overworked.
Insufficient holiday means staff are left open to stress and other health problems.
Progress
on work-life balance is a myth for many
TUC, 16 December 2005
A new TUC report challenges Government
claims that Britain's long hours culture is being transformed by
new rights to request flexible work patterns. The 'Challenging Times'
report found hundreds of thousands have had requests for shorter
hours turned down.
Flexibility
and work-life balance put public sector on top
Personnel Today, 7 December 2005
A career in the public sector is more rewarding than working in the private
sector, a work satisfaction study suggests. The research, commissioned by public
sector website Inside Public and carried out by YouGov, found 81 per
cent of public sector workers find their jobs rewarding compared to just 62
per cent in the private sector. The survey also highlighted why public sector
workers are happier - just one sixth (16 per cent) of those surveyed said they
had to work overtime during an average week, compared to 23 per cent in the
private sector
Working
time options over the life course
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working
Conditions, 16 December 2005
A new report from the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and
Working Conditions, compares the societal systems (including working time patterns)
between six European countries - France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden
and the United Kingdom.
Women in banking and financial services escape
the conventional working world
Financial Times News Digest p4, 12 December 2005
According to the recruitment consultancy Hudson, more than
half of women in banking and financial services have left or are
considering escaping the conventional working world for other options,
including setting up their own businesses, retraining, working flexibly
or pursuing a portfolio career.
Italian business wants a six-day week
The Daily Telegraph Business B2, 9 December 2005
The Italian business federation, Confindustria, has suggested a six-day working
week, so Italian workers would only have Sundays off.
Most people want to work part-time
Just Part Time, December 2005
A survey of 300 people in London and the Midlands has found 54% of full time
workers want to work part-time, and 59% of women working full time would like
to work part-time if the opportunity arose. See www.justparttime.co.uk
Part-time and below your potential?
Equal Opportunities Commission, 2005
This research has found that women often choose to work in jobs that do not
make full use of their potential in order to combine work with caring and other
responsibilities. Business is missing out on their skills and abilities, but
what can be done? Download
the full report.
Entrepreneurs work longer
Financial Times News Digest p4, 4 December 2005
Owners of small businesses are working longer hours and spend more time worrying
about their work than other people, according to a report by the Royal Bank
of Scotland.
Party on for success
Metro, 1 December 2005
People who spend long hours at work are not seen as ‘having made it’ because
they have failed to find a work-life balance, a survey by bankers Morgan Stanley
has found.
BT hosts an event to launch the
results of a Work Foundation survey focusing on creating a flexible
working culture
Why
the have-it-all woman has decided she doesn't want it all
The Observer, 28 November
Women are supposed to want a career and children. But more and more are finding
it hard to combine both. In this article, Tessa Jowell, Minister for Women,
calls for a debate on how we all live.
Women’s
Changing Lifestyles
Mintel, 30 November
Research on women’s changing lifestyles, by Mintel, has found
women today are busier than ever and increasingly rely on grandparents
to take care of their children while they and their partners are
at work.
Long
hours make New Man a myth
The Times, 30 November
A study by London University's Institute of Education has found that fathers
are working longer hours and sharing less in their children's lives. British
fathers also work the most hours in Europe (46.9 per week compared with 35.5
in France).
