Survey highlights regional differences on flex working

Parents in the North of England are significantly less likely to say they have enough flexibility in how they work than those in the rest of England, according to an analysis of workingmums.co.uk’s annual survey.

The survey of over 2,700 parents, most of them mums, found only 49% of parents in the North of England said they had enough flexibility in how they worked, compared to 68% of parents in the East of England, 58% of parents in the South West and London and the South East and 52% of parents in the Midlands.

More parents in the North worked full time with no flexibility than their counterparts elsewhere: 29% worked full time with no flexibility, compared to 27% in the South West, 25% in the Midlands and East and 23% in London and the South East. However, there were fewer part-time workers in the Midlands [33%], with 36% of parents in the North, 37% in the South West, 39% in London and the South East and 42% in the East working part time.

Parents in the South West were the least likely to work from home either part of the week or to be home-based [8% compared to 10% in the Midlands and North and 14% in London and the South East and the East].

Parents in the North and the South West were most likely to say they felt they were stuck in the job they were in because of a lack of new jobs advertised as flexible – 85% of parents in the South West said this, compared to 83% in the North, 77% in London and the South East and the Midlands and 75% in the East.

However, parents in the North were more likely to say they felt very stuck [58%], compared to 51% of parents in the South West, 49% of parents in the East of England, 47% of parents in the Midlands and 45% of parents in London and the South East.

Parents in the South West were most likely to have taken time off for mental health issues since having children [37%], usually due to a combination of work and family pressures. This compared to 31% of parents in the North and Midlands, 30% in the East and 27% of parents in London and the South East.

Parents in the East were least likely to say they had had support such as gradual return to work, buddies, mentors and so forth, when they returned after parental leave. The difference was significant with 82% saying this, compared to 69% in the Midlands, 58% in the South West, 57% in the North and just 45% in London and the South East.

Parents in London and the South East were also the most likely to have asked for flexible working at interview and they and parents in the East were most likely to say they needed flexible working in order to take the job.

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The survey shows that for some issues there is not much difference between parents from different regions. Similar numbers had retrained in the last 12 months with slightly more parents in London and the South East and the East [23%] having done so than those in the Midlands [22%], South West [20%] and the North [19%].

There was not much difference in the numbers of parents who said having more senior flexible jobs was the mostly likely thing to help their career progression [57% in London and the South East, the East and the Midlands, 56% in the North and 52% in the South West] and there was not a big difference between those parents who said their career had not progressed since they had children – 30% in the South West, 32% in the North, 34% in London and the South East and 35% in the Midlands, although only 26% in the East said so.

Meanwhile, parents in the North were less likely to have considered starting their own business [48%] compared to 52% in the South West, 55% in the East, 56% in London and the South West and 57% in the Midlands.

Other parts of the UK

In Scotland there were very high numbers of parents who felt stuck in their current job due to a lack of new flexible roles [85% with 52% feeling very stuck]. 55% thought they had enough flexibility in their current roles and 54% said more senior level flexible roles was the most important thing for their career progression.

Just 36% had progressed in their career since having children. 28% worked full time with no flexibility, 11% worked from home at least once a week and 41% worked part time. Only 14% had asked about flexible working at interview and just 19% said they needed flexible working in order to accept the job. 31% had had time off for mental health issues since starting work and a large number – 69% – said they had no support from their employer to return to work after parental leave. Half had considered starting their own business.

In Wales and Northern Ireland the figures were smaller, but they did show significant differences. Just 12% of parents in Northern Ireland said they had progressed their careers since having children, compared to 34% in Wales. While 53% of parents in Northern Ireland and 77% in Wales had enough flexibility in their current job, only 57% of parents in Northern Ireland felt stuck in their job due to a lack of new flexible jobs compared to 75% in Wales. Of those who were stuck, however, parents in Northern Ireland were more likely to say they felt very stuck [43% – compared to 31% in Wales]. Parents in Northern Ireland were more likely to work full time with no flexibility [32%] compared to 20% in Wales. Welsh parents were much more likely to work part time [52% compared to 32% in Northern Ireland].

Homeworking was very low or non-existent in both Northern Ireland and Wales. Parents in Wales were less likely to say having more senior flexible roles would help them progress their careers – 44% compared to 56% in Northern Ireland. Both groups of parents were equally interested in setting up their own businesses [56%].

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