Nearly a third of UK employees would prefer flexible working to a pay rise, with three quarters saying that the option of working flexibly would make a job more attractive to them, claims a new study. The research, conducted by Powwownow found that 75 percent of workers would favour a job that gives their employees the option to work flexibly – up from 70 percent in 2017. A majority, (81 percent) of women say that flexible working would make a job more appealing – with almost half (45 percent) strongly agreeing that they would favour a job that offers flexible working. Male workers also find the option to work flexibly attractive when considering a role, with 69 percent saying that they would view employers who offer flexible working more favourably.  The research also found that Millennials are the most likely to want the option to work flexibly, with 70 percent wishing they were offered it, compared to less than half (47 percent) of over 55’s.

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A new report a new report by the Centre for Ageing Better has called for government and employers to support older workers to stay in work for longer, help those who have fallen out of work involuntarily to return and to create workplaces that work for all, irrespective of age. The report claims that ensuring older workers are able to stay in good quality employment is essential to the future of the UK economy and will relieve pressure on public finances. It makes some key recommendations that include access to flexible working hours and workplace adaptations to help people manage pressures such as caring responsibilities and health conditions, which become more prevalent with age. It also calls for equality of opportunities in the workplace as older workers in the UK experience age discrimination in recruitment and progression. They are less likely to be offered opportunities for development – across the whole of the OECD only Turkey and Slovenia have lower levels of on-the-job training for older workers than the UK. Research shows they are also the most likely to be stuck on low pay and feel most insecure about their jobs.

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British employers are ‘living in the dark ages’ and have worrying attitudes when it comes to recruiting women, according to a new report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Claiming that many businesses’ attitudes are decades behind the law, the survey of 1,106 senior decision makers in business found around a third (36 percent) of private sector employers agree that it is reasonable to ask women about their plans to have children in the future during recruitment. The new statistics also reveal six in 10 employers (59 percent) agree that a woman should have to disclose whether she is pregnant during the recruitment process, and almost half (46 percent) of employers agree it is reasonable to ask women if they have young children during the recruitment process.

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