According to our recent survey, only 36% of you describe your company as family friendly and 73% of you feel that your company does not provide family-friendly benefits. Nearly half of you (48%) reported that your company does not allow employees to work from home for any reason and 30% feel that you are discouraged from making special requests when it comes to scheduling around childcare. When it comes to salary and advancement, 58% of you feel mums are treated unfairly.
Yet despite these gloomy statistics, many companies recognise that family-friendly policies are key to attracting top talent. According to the results of the survey, 26% of companies are very flexible when it comes to scheduling around childcare, letting employees adjust their hours as needed, and 28% are somewhat flexible, allowing employees to make changes when emergencies arise. When it comes to working from home, 24% of you can do so for any reason and 25% are allowed to in special circumstances.
If you are a job seeker with a family to consider, it may be important to you to find an employer with family-friendly policies and benefits. Our survey shows that these companies are out there. Here is what you need to know to find one:
1. Educate yourself—Read up on your rights so you know what you can reasonably ask for and expect from a potential employer. Visit Directgov for an explanation of all employment rights or refer to the Working Families fact sheets section.
2. Look for endorsements—Start by looking at companies known for setting an example when it comes to family-friendly policies. Working Families publishes an annual list of the Top Employers for Working Families and the Guardian have compiled a list of employers commended by the government and the schemes they have been running to improve equality in the workplace, broken down into categories such as ‘Flexible Working’ and ‘Women Returners.’
3. Do your research—To find a company that walks the walk when it comes to family-friendly benefits and gender equality, look for the signs:
- Top-level employees that practice flexible working
- Women holding executive or senior roles
- Modern IT systems that can support employees who work remotely
- Transparent salary and advancement processes to ensure equal pay for all employees
- What family-friendly policies do you have in place?
- What are the typical working hours? Do people generally work beyond them?
- Do you have a workplace nursery and how many places do you have?
- How many women return to work after maternity leave?
- How many people work flexibly?