It’s about time: women, men, work and family

It is far from revolutionary. The UK experience of these laws has been very positive, both for employers and employees.

Prior to introduction of the Act in the UK, several studies were undertaken into the potential effects on employers of the new law.

Learning from the UK experience, HREOC recommends that consideration of such a law in Australia be the subject of an extensive consultation with employers and other stakeholders. It must be developed with the genuine concerns of business in mind.

Studies showed that flexible working had a positive impact upon employee commitment and motivation with more than half reporting positive impacts on staff turnover. Nearly half found the policies had a positive effect upon recruitment and half cited improvements in productivity.

Since the Act took effect, over 80 per cent of employee requests for flexible working have been either fully or partially accepted by employers.

This is hardly the stuff of heavy-handed regulation. Providing employers and employees with tools for negotiating these issues in the workplace can only assist in finding solutions that best meet the needs of their business.

People are finding their working lives overlap at various points with not only caring for children, but also spouses or older relatives at the other end of the life cycle.

Australia must have a social vision and appropriate legal support to facilitate these transitions without harsh penalties. Legal support is just one element among a raft of measures that are also required to make our homes and workplaces more family-friendly.

Achieving a balance between paid work and family responsibilities is not only the barbeque stopper of this century. It is without doubt the greatest challenge being faced by Australian families every day.

In 2007, it’s about time for a new approach.