Flexible working could fix the gender pay gap, says major new report

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Businesses are being urged to assess and improve their flexible working practices in a bid to end gender discrimination in the workplace.

One of the biggest barriers to gender equality and pay parity is employers' continued refusal to accept non-traditional working practices, according to a new joint report from flexible working experts  Timewise and consultants Deloitte. 

The report said businesses need to embrace unconventional hours if they are to end disparity between the sexes. It added that managers need to be open to people working flexible hours and ask "why not" rather than "why" when employees request it. 

According to the study, which has been dubbed a "Manifesto For Change", more than 30 per cent of workers who opt for flexible hours feel they have less status and importance as a result. A quarter of the 2,000 people surveyed also thought they had missed professional opportunities because of this.

Other suggestions by Timewise and Deloitte to achieve workplace equality included male and female role models, the training of managers, data analysis and challenging stereotypes. 

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It comes as business across the country are look at ways to improve equality, following the release of gender pay gap figures last month. 

"The traditional workplace was designed for a family structure in which one person stayed at home and another went out to work," said Karen Mattison, chief executive of Timewise. "This is no longer the case for the majority of UK households. Employers need to catch up with the needs and aspirations of the modern workforce, or risk getting left behind."

Emma Codd, head of talent at Deloitte, said the consultancy has improved its staff retention since it changed its flexible working practices.

"Now, work-life balance is no longer the main reason people choose to leave our firm," she said. "We have achieved this change simply by focusing on our culture and ensuring we offer people options that work for them and the firm." 

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