Closed petition Flexible and part time working quotas

Closed on 22 August 2013

Many thousands of parents would like to work part-time, or have flexible hours, in order to support their family and maintain a good work/life balance. However the availability of such roles at anything above shop-floor level in most businesses is terrible. Very often, educated and experienced parents are forced to stay home because the only roles open to them would not cover their childcare costs.

The government is concerned with the representation of women at board level and wants to introduce quotas, but only a very few individuals will ever benefit from this. Instead we need organisations to be compelled to offer a percentage of roles at every level on a flexible basis, be that part-time, job-share, term-time etc. Companies are obliged currently to consider requests for flexible working from current employees, but this would allow external candidates the same opportunities. Opening up the job market in this way could bring tremendous economic and social benefits.