Public Servant Lifestyle

Three quarters of working parents put family friendly working hours ahead of other benefits like health insurance and pensions in a survey published to coincide with the launch of new campaigning charity Working Families.

Asked what benefits they would prefer, 44% said they would like flexible working hours, 30% said a shorter working day, 14% wanted gym membership, 4% maternity and paternity leave, 4% pension or life insurance and 2% health insurance. Asked how they would spend an extra hour in their day, 62% said they would spend more time with their family and 34% wanted time on their own. Just one person who responded (a mother of two) said she would choose to spend more time at work.

The two questions were posted on the Working Families website for two weeks, which asked visitors: 'If you had an extra hour every weekday, how would you most like to spend it?' and 'Which one of the following work benefits would you most like to receive?'

Time For New Agenda?

Working Families Chief Executive Sarah Jackson said: “We know that long working hours are no good for business or productivity, and that they damage our health and family life. It’s time for a new family friendly working agenda to match the changing face of British family life. We want to see more opportunities for people to work flexibly, more flexible care services and an end to the long hours culture, which means that a third of fathers hardly see their children during the working week. Working Families will give a voice to all those families who, like those in our poll, are struggling to pay the bills and do satisfying work, and who also need time to spend with each other."

The new charity will:

Listen to working parents and carers and give a voice to their concerns

Support working families in every way it can – currently with free fact sheets and information on a highly popular website, a free legal helpline for low income families and a project for families with disabled children

Campaign for work-life balance for everyone by working with employers, policy makers and opinion formers

Spread the word on the benefits of work-life policies with our Best Boss competition and Employer of the Year Awards

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Working Families has been born out a merger of the two leading charities campaigning for work-life balance - Parents At Work and New Ways to Work. Already providing support and advice to thousands of families and hundreds of employers a year, the two charities have merged to form a stronger, united voice for working families.

More information available in Incentives & Rewards