Quarter of UK workers have turned down a job for not offering flexible working

A new study from communications technology business TeleWare claims that a growing number of employees are turning down jobs that don’t offer some form of flexible working. The survey of 2,300 UK employees claims that a quarter of all employees have turned down a job in the past for this reason. Whilst a further third (31 percent) would actively do so. Although the proportion of those that have done so is higher amongst younger workers (40 percent), three in 10 (29 percent) employees over 45 would turn down a job if flexible work options were not on offer.

Despite a legal right to request flexible working fewer than three in 10 (29 percent) UK employees work for companies that operate flexible working schemes for all. One in five companies only allowing those of a certain level of seniority to work flexibly.

People in the 25–34 year-old bracket are the most enthusiastic about flexible working with 93 percent saying it’s important for them to be able to choose both the hours they work and the place they work from. For those aged 55 years and older, 82 percent still say that flexible working and ability to choose where they work is important to them.