Digby lashes out at family-friendly demands

There has been widespread speculation this week that ministers are set to force employers to offer flexible working to staff. At present, employees just have the right to make a formal request, which can be turned down by their bosses.

There has also been calls to improve maternity and paternity leave for employees, following proposals made by former health secretary Alan Milburn, who quit to spend more time with his family, that new fathers and mothers should be allowed a whole year off work to care for their children.

As reported yesterday, although flexible working has been generally seen to be a success, a study has found a significant proportion of employees and employers were totally unaware of the regulations.

However, Jones warned the government not to draft greater employee-friendly laws, claiming that the current flexible working system works well.

Speaking at a conference in Birmingham, Jones pointed out that eight in ten flexible working requests are granted by UK employers.

“The right to request is effective because it gives employees more opportunities to work in a way that suits them, but also provides employers with flexibility.

“At a time of skills shortages, flexible working gives employers access to new pools of skilled labour which understanding employers and light-touch government attitudes turn into a success for Britain.

“But that does not mean the government should get carried away with early success. Ministers should dismiss any renewed calls to turn the right to request flexible work into a regulated obligation bound up in red tape to provide flexible working on a one-size-fits-all basis.

“We need to ensure any change is based on real evidence of effectiveness and value-added demand. Otherwise we will shoot ourselves in the foot by damaging the ability of companies to generate wealth and employment,” he said.