Latest News about Family Friendly Working
Latest Press Release from Family Friendly Working:
UK parents are leaving work due to the lack of flexible working opportunities available to them, according to a new survey for Family Friendly Working. The cost of childcare is also forcing parents to stay at home.
The survey reveals that just over a third (34.6%) of parents who had left work after having children had done so because of lack of flexible work opportunities. Three in 10 (30.7%) cite the cost of childcare as a key reason to quit.
The Employment Act 2002 introduced legislation designed to help working parents. Since April 2003 parents with young and disabled children have had the right to request flexible work. This right to request was extended in 2009 to anyone with parental responsibility for a child aged 16 or under or a disabled child under 18 who receives Disability Living Allowance. People can ask to:
- change the hours they work;
- change the times they work; or
Britain’s Bosses Missing Out on Talented Parents
A new survey for Family Friendly Working shows that talented parents are leaving the world of employment.
Britain’s bosses are missing out on skilled employees due to a combination of the lack of flexible hours and the cost of childcare. And the parents who are leaving are continuing to develop their skills too both with the family, by retraining, and in their own businesses.
Unsurprisingly the top talents developed by parents are Multitasking (68.4%) and Time Management (65.3%). But more than half (55.3%) of the parents who responded to the survey have developed Promotion and Marketing Skills and almost as many (45.3%) have developed better Communication Skills.
Mums and Dads are getting better at managing money too, with nearly 4 in 10 (39.2%) saying that they have developed their Financial Management Skills after leaving work. A similar number (37.6%) have improved Project Planning Skills since quitting employment.
This press release has been covered on:
The HR Director - HR Magazine - Kidzine - Mum and Working - My Baby Radio - Ni4Kids - Totz2teens - UKParentsLounge - What to Do With the Kids
Media Comments on the Family Friendly Working Book:
‘Overall, it’s a very useful guide for any parents contemplating fitting work around children, those already doing so and anyone looking for inspirational working ideas.’ Baby Hampshire
‘They say ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ and, if you’re a mother, you certainly need to be inventive. Antonia’s book is a great place to start if you’re looking for ideas on how to combine working life and family.’ Kaye Adams – Journalist and former anchor of Loose Women
If you find yourself, as so many mothers do, back in the office trying to squash five days work into four, not seeing your children as much as you’d like while spending almost your entire salary on childcare, this is the book for you. Families magazine
‘Many parents have to make tough decisions about returning to work after having a baby. So there is excellent potential for this guide in which a mother and small business advisor shares her ideas for finding work that fits comfortably around having kids.’ The Bookseller – Caroline Sanderson
Many parents strive to find the perfect balance between looking after the family and working, but it’s not always easy. In this book, Family Friendly Working, author and working parent, Antonia Chitty, explores the many options available for parents who want to successfully work and still have plenty of time to spend with their family. Over the course of 10 chapters, Antonia look at ideas for finding work, different types of work – such as using your existing hobbies as a catalyst for transforming them into paid for work, developing services you can sell, selling products or joining a franchise – and ways of building your business or work once you’ve hit on the perfect idea for you. Throughout the book are great real life examples of other parents who’ve been there and done it, plus lots of useful tips and contact details of relevant companies. The tone is upbeat and chatty, but chapter 10 does offer advice for when you’re struggling to make things work. Overall, it’s a very useful guide for any parents contemplating fitting work around children, those already doing so and anyone looking for inspirational working ideas. Baby Hampshire
Press Release
Mother and small business advisor Antonia Chitty has put together a guide for parents which is full of case studies and ideas for finding work that fits comfortably around having kids. She advises not only on starting a business, but also on working for someone else or freelancing, with lots of advice, pros and cons and contributions from other parents who have been there before. If you have had enough of trying to do too much in too little time, and feel torn between work and spending time with your children, this book will guide you through the options. Do you make something that might be saleable? Have you got a skill you could use to earn in the evenings or while the children are asleep? What courses might help you retrain AND still be there when the kids get home from school?
Whether you need to earn something just to boost the family budget or have ideas for a business that could support your family if only you knew how to get started, this is the book for you.
Family Friendly WorkingBackground information:
- ISBN 978 1 905410 26 2
- Format New paperback
- Publication date 18 February 2008
- Author Antonia Chitty
- Price £9.99
- No of pages 192
- Size 216mm x 138mm
