People with caring responsibilities, or health or age-related needs, struggle to find a quality part time job, due to a lack of flexible working arrangements.
Almost two million people are either locked out of work or stuck in low paid jobs and today, Members of the London Assembly agreed a motion supporting the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) commitment to flexible working.
The London Assembly calls on the Mayor to share the good practice of the GLA and the benefits that flexible working bring to London’s businesses by ensuring a diverse, skilled workforce.
Fiona Twycross AM, who proposed the motion said:
“Flexible working is essential to ensure we don’t lose the vital skills of those who need to balance their contribution in the workplace with other commitments, such as caring responsibilities.
Far too many women in London are stuck in roles that don’t use their experience fully. We need to get childcare right so they don’t get priced out of opportunities and end up taking – or staying in - part-time positions simply because they can’t find affordable childcare. But we also need to make sure there are decent part time jobs at all levels and that everyone gets a chance to progress. This will increase productivity and diversity at senior levels and that can only be good for employees and employers alike.
The more the Mayor can do to encourage flexible working practices both here at the GLA and across London the better.”
The full text of the Motion is:
This Assembly supports the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) commitment to flexible working arrangements working in partnership with Timewise and would like to see this extended to all businesses in London.
This Assembly believes that flexible working to suit employee’s lifestyle and commitments increases staff motivation, which benefits their team, the wider GLA and then London as a whole. Most roles at the GLA are open to flexible working and everyone is able to discuss flexible working with their line-manager.{3]
This Assembly notes Timewise’s research that flexible working has a number of benefits for both staff and organisations. Access to flexible working increases talent attraction by attracting people who wouldn’t otherwise apply, because they will not consider a full-time role; career progression for women who are underemployed in part-time in low-skilled jobs and by increasing diversity in senior roles.[4]
This Assembly notes that almost two million people are either locked out of work or stuck in low paid jobs for which they are overqualified due to the lack of flexible working arrangements. For those people with caring responsibilities, or health or age related needs, the struggle to find a quality part time job is the difference between living in or out of poverty.[5]
This Assembly calls on the Mayor to share the good practice of the GLA and the benefits that flexible working brings with London’s businesses, working with them to introduce flexible working arrangements to encourage more part-time skilled jobs and an increasingly diverse skilled workforce.
Notes to editors
- Watch the full webcast.
- The motion was agreed unanimously.
- Greater London Authority, Flexible working examples, date accessed 19.01.2017
- Timewise, What We’ve Learned, date accessed 19.01.2017
- Timewise, What We’ve Learned, date accessed 19.01.2017
- Fiona Twycross AM, who proposed the motion, is available for interviews. Please see contact details below.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Lisa Lam on 020 7983 4067. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.