Women Denied Right To Work At Home in UK

Could you be working from home? In the EU it’s a right to have your telecommuting or work from home request “seriously considered” by an employer. 

From Freelance UK

A fresh probe into the adoption of flexible work practices says two thirds of mothers – 10 per cent more than men – have had an employer reject their request to work at home.

Commissioned by IT provider WebEx, the survey by YouGov found that half of women with children feel they are battling against a culture of rigid attitudes towards working hours.

Obtained by The Independent, the findings are being used by campaigners to show a huge gender gap exists in the workplace, which penalizes women who want children and a career.

One lobbyist that strives for a better work-life balance for parents of both sexes believes employers are failing in their legal duties to working parents.

Jonathan Swan, head of policy and research at Working Families, reportedly said, “Women who opt for a flexible life plan are seen as less committed. Likewise, men are expected to be hands-on fathers and fit in to a ‘long hours’ culture.�

Under European Union law, workers with children aged under six-years-old can ask for flexible hours for their employer’s ‘serious consideration.’ However the study found almost two-thirds of parents are missing out because they are ignorant of the rights, which have been in force since April 2003.

According to a 2004 study by the Equal Opportunities Commission, men dominate home-based working, with 884,000 saying they ‘mainly’ work from home, compared to just 347,000 women.