As more and more women are staying in the workplace after having children – and often full time – parents are demanding greater flexibility, but dads are still being held back by old-fashioned policies and fears that their employer will react negatively to requests to work flexibly, according to two new Workingmums.co.uk surveys.
While the annual survey, sponsored by McDonald’s, shows 59% of mums say their partner doesn’t work flexibly and only 4% say their partner works part time, a survey of dads shows overwhelming demand for flexible working among men with 73% saying they are considering …

By Tiernan Douieb, professional comedian, NextUp Comedy
There are lots of reasons that comedians decide on having our unpredictable, financially unstable and socially inactive life. Mostly it’s down to being driven by an innate – albeit odd – need to get onstage and make people laugh.
Whatever your motivations, the challenge is the same: to earn enough money to carry on doing what you love while getting on with your life. I’ve got a 5-month-old baby so, for me, it’s supporting my wonderful wife and providing for our family.
However, in a world …

More than a quarter of British workers say they have experienced discrimination in the workplace, research has revealed.
The study found prejudice towards gender, race and age is still commonplace in UK businesses, but a youth-driven revolution could be underway to counter it.
Generation Z (under 25s) are twice as likely to believe employers should do more to promote inclusion than Baby Boomers (over 55s).
And they are twice as likely to question the status quo on equal opportunities too, according to the study, commissioned to mark National Inclusion Week.
Half of Gen-Z believe …

Even when working for the most family-friendly organisations, we can all have times where stress can creep up on us. If you find you have a demanding workload it can have an impact on all aspects of your life especially when you have a home and family commitments outside of work. On the adverse side of this, if you find you are not challenged enough by your workload or lacking career progression opportunities you might alternatively be feeling undervalued and demoralised. Stress can even be caused by your colleagues and …

If you have debt problems then it’s not just your personal and homelife that can suffer – your work and long-term career plans can also be hit quite hard. Even if you don’t work in the financial sector, your reputation and trustworthiness can be diminished and some promotions or job changes may be closed to you. If you do work in the financial sector, the effects will be even more restrictive.
Money problems follow you to work
Poorly-managed debts don’t just keep you awake at night and cause rows, they affect your …

Guest article by Kirsty Hulse
The jump from a secure income and regular paid employment can be a scary one but one that can’t fail but to reward you in the long run. Flexibility, a work life balance that you can control and a chance to maximise your productivity by working where and when you know you can achieve your best, is only the beginning. Here are a few pointers that I have learnt along the way that will help when starting out on your freelance journey…

Try not to get …

A range of innovative returner programmes have been shortlisted as part of Workingmums.co.uk‘s ninth Top Employer Awards.
The Best for Returners Award is a new award this year and celebrates the flourishing of programmes aimed at supporting those who have taken a career break back into work.
It is one of eight categories in the Workingmums.co.uk Top Employer Awards. Twenty-nine of the most progressive employers and their representatives have been shortlisted across the categories which include SMEs, Family Support and Career Progression. The Awards will be announced at a ceremony in London …

Owning land and property has long been considered a worthy investment. But while land is largely out of reach for most people and property ownership is an unlikely prospect for younger generations, a whole new world of property and land ownership is occurring in a different reality – Virtual Reality (VR).
History
It was Second Life that popularised the monetisation of virtual land and other assets. The Second Life economy allowed users to get a job, run businesses and sell and lease property and other assets via the platform’s marketplace and in-game …

Being able to work from home is a blessing to many people. It’s a perk not having to commute to and from work, having a better work-life balance and the fun experience of becoming an interior designer for your own office. If you are looking to set up a home office for the first time, or want to revamp your existing space, here are a few key considerations.
Style
Firstly, consider what sort of office you want. Do you want quirky or prefer more sophisticated? Browsing the internet for inspiration is a …

Employing a nanny to help with you your busy working life has many advantages but you do need take into consideration the legal and financial side. Below are points that you should give some thought.
Contract:
Once you have found the perfect nanny for your family, you are officially their employer. Creating an official and formal contract is one of the responsibilities of becoming an employer. They have the same benefits as any other people who work in the UK as they are making their career out of helping and looking after …