The way that we work is changing. The boundaries between our professional and personal lives can blur and, as we strive to achieve the sometimes illusive work-life balance, we increasingly want the opportunity to work more flexibly.
As a working mum of three-year-old twins who chooses to work part-time (4 days a week), I understand the challenges and considerations that many mothers and fathers face when looking at alternative working arrangements after becoming parents.
Parenthood is just one of the driving forces behind a movement in the UK towards more flexible working practices in all of its guises. There is a independent employer-led working group on flexible working chaired by Sir Win Bischoff, which Ernst & Young sits on, so wwe know first-hand that times are changing and businesses want to do more. This is driven by a number of factors both personal and commercial.
Working flexibly looks different for all of us, parents and non-parents alike. It can be part-time working, reduced hours, 9-day fortnights, not working the school holidays, or regular sabbaticals/time off to fulfil a passion or commit to a hobby. But one thing that is common to all of these, and which I am passionate about, is the need to balance business needs with personal desires; all flexible working arrangements start with a business conversation.
To achieve a flexible working culture in an organisation requires plenty of trust in the workplace, leadership from the top and individual accountability. It's about empowering people to choose how, when and where they work. Flexibility is about giving people the opportunity, wherever feasible, to work the hours and in the location that best helps them maximise the personal contribution they make. This enhances the performance of the organisations they work for, while considering their team's needs and ensuring that customers and clients, if they have them, take priority.
Admittedly it can sometimes be difficult to fit everything into five days, let alone less – but it is done by many people every day, by both men and women, across a wide diversity of roles and for a variety of reasons. Indeed, almost 10% of Ernst & Young's UK partners now work reduced hours.
I've recently had the privilege of working with an inspiring organisation called Timewise. Their ethos is that you don't have to give up a professional career because you want to work part-time, and they have been looking for business leaders who set the tone from the top.
One thing about flexible working that is crystal clear to me and common to all: reduced hours never means reduced commitment. Anyone who chooses alternative working arrangements gives their all, they just recognise that doing so doesn't necessarily mean they have to work five days a week.
As a parent I've also realised that it's important to consider how flexibility translates into our personal lives and for me teamwork is key. My husband, who runs his own business, also spends one day a week at home with the girls, who attend nursery on the other three days. We are a strong team and we make our patterns of care work for us – learning, along the way how to be flexible with each other, and with our daughters, as well as with the people we work with. This approach has been invaluable for us.
I believe the world of work is evolving at a fast pace. Today's parents, Generation Y, those who are planning for retirement, don't just want great remuneration and an employer they can be passionate about: they want both these things, plus flexibility.
The best businesses embrace flexible working, not only to keep attracting the best and brightest talent, but genuinely because that's where we're heading as a working society. As long as the work is done to a high standard, the pattern of those hours should make no difference.
Lynn Rattigan is a partner and the deputy chief operating officer at Ernst & Young UK & Ireland
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