Emma Stewart has been invited to join the government’s Flexible Working Taskforce. Here she explains why it has been created, and what it’s aiming to achieve, with Timewise's support.
By Emma Stewart, Co-Founder
In October last year, as part of the discussion around the gender pay gap, the Prime Minister called on employers to make flexible working a reality for all employees. Her proposal, which we have long been lobbying for, is that companies should advertise jobs as flexible from day one, unless there are solid business reasons not to.
Following this call, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (DBEIS) has established a new Flexible Working Taskforce, chaired by the CIPD. It brings together representatives from government, employee groups, employer organisations and other professional bodies, and I am delighted to have been asked to join it.
Over the next 18 months, the taskforce will be investigating the barriers that prevent employers from offering, and individuals from taking up, flexible working options. It will also identify positive actions to overcome these barriers. This is a fantastic opportunity to drive real change, with government input and investment behind us.
I have already presented an insight session on flexible hiring to my fellow taskforce members, in collaboration with Lloyds Banking Group, sharing what works and how it works. And I am looking forward to incorporating the Timewise perspective further, as we review the employee life course from recruitment to retention to progression. Our aim is to develop tangible recommendations that will encourage and support more businesses to embrace both flexible working and flexible hiring.
It’s an exciting time for those of us in the flexible working sphere. As I’m sure you’d expect from Timewise, we’re grabbing the opportunity and making it count. We’ll let you know any developments as they arise.
Published July 2018
