Working Mums Awards 2010

4th October 2010

Lynne Featherstone's speech

Good morning everyone. Thank you so much for inviting me here. Thank you to Gillian Nissim for all the extraordinary work she is doing to support working Mums. And a big, big congratulations to all the nominees of Top Employer Awards 2010.

We are clear that the Government cannot cut it alone. We will never achieve the kind of seismic, long lasting cultural change for working mums without real business centred action. And that support will only come when employers like you are given the platform to share their ideas and their successes with the wider world. That is why these awards are so important, and why I am really delighted to be here supporting them.

What I hope to get across today is just how important it is for you to continue and expand what you are doing and to talk to you about the action the Coalition Government will be taking to support you in your efforts.

I have experienced the challenges of leading a busy life at work and at home - trying to do a good job, trying not to pit one against the other, trying to balance everything without tearing my hair out. I’ve only succeeded to a certain extent.

I still feel perpetually guilty about my children - even though they are all grown up. When I was bringing them up as a single mum I remember being out canvassing and feeling guilty about not being at home. And when I was with them, I felt guilty I wasn’t at work.

But the one thing is that work and life challenges I’ve experienced are exactly the same challenges facing the majority of families and undoubtedly many of you here today.

Michelle Obama even came up with a phrase to describe people like us – the 120 percenter – where if you do feel you are doing any job at 120 percent, you think you are failing. If you’re trying to do that at home and trying to do that at work, it can be very difficult, stressful and frustrating.

But, as all of you here today demonstrate it doesn’t have to be that way. It doesn’t have to be that hard.

And that is something I learned for myself when I ran my own design company before becoming an MP.

I discovered that flexible working isn’t just about family balance. It’s not always about children; it can be about caring responsibility, it can just be about anything. But actually about understanding that there are times when 9-5 can’t necessarily be enough.

It is about making workplaces stronger and more effective – keeping and attracting the most qualified staff. My staff stayed with me for years and I think that is the reward you get. We had a good time together because we liked and respected each other.

I found the more flexibility I gave to my staff to be good parents the more they were able to put back working for me.

Telling a firm they should think about flexible working is like telling a marathon runner they should think about getting fit.

The figures speak for themselves. BT introduced flexible working just over 20 years ago as part of their business strategy. They have reported absenteeism down 20%, property costs down £500m, and productivity up to 30%

BT, IBM and Sainsbury’s – all leaders in flexible working, are in the business of doing business, not charities. They’ve adopted flexible working policies because, when all is said and done, it helps their bottom line.

As a result we are seeing more and more employers choosing to offer flexible working actively, rather than wait to be asked.

But while all this speaks volumes of the progress we are making, we still have many mountains to climb when it comes to flexible working, I don’t think we as a society have quite grasped its concept. Many workplaces are still largely designed around the sole breadwinner men, with stay-at-home wives.

Since becoming an MP I’ve had the chance to sit down with many working women from across the country. And I keep getting the same message of frustration. They work hard doing the same jobs as men everyday, they are just as qualified, just as committed but yet they are penalised just because they are Mums. They want to work. They just can’t work long and unsociable hours they once did because for the most part the expectation to manage the household and look after the kids is still very much with them. But the part-time and flexible jobs they are looking for just aren’t there.

Dropping out the workforce or choosing lower-paid, lower-skilled part-time work in order to balance work and family life.

And because our labour market is in the throes of serious demographic change, these are pressures only likely to increase.

Growing numbers of women are needing or wanting to continue working after having children and they are demanding work that recognises their experience and abilities. Just 15 years ago, 59 per cent of women of working age with dependent children were in paid employment. Today that has risen to 68 per cent.

On top of this people are living longer, producing added caring responsibilities for the care of elderly relatives. By 2010 it is estimated that nearly 10 million people in the UK will have caring responsibilities for an elderly relative.

If we keep on making it difficult for 50% of the workforce to give of their best, it will sap our ability to compete in a global market.

I think one of the major differences is that up until now government policy has reinforced a workplace designed around the male breadwinner.

When it comes to parental leave mothers get a year, whereas fathers are ushered back to work after two weeks. That is one of the largest gaps in Europe. Leaving economics aside, I can’t imagine how frustrating it is for all the fathers out there who wish they could spend more time being a Dad.

We need a ‘new normal’ accepting that it’s not just mothers who want to spend time with their children but fathers too.

And that’s why the Coalition has made it our ambition to make Britain the most family-friendly place to do business.

Under these plans, we have committed to extending the right to request flexible working to all employees. Currently, parents of children aged 16 and under, parents of disabled children and some carers are allowed to ask their employers for more flexible working. We hope by normalising it in this way we can lift some of the stigma that discourages men from asking for flexible working, leaving caring to be shared more evenly.

We are also looking into a system which will encourage shared parenting – for example by introducing flexible parental leave which will allow mothers and fathers to divide their time off how they see fit. So if fathers want to take more of a role they can, if mothers want to return to work sooner than later they can.

Of course, Government will practice what we preach, serving as a model for the policies that we’re encouraging.

Our plans to make access to high quality and affordable childcare available to all parents will also make it easier for your employees to balance their home and work life.

The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister have created a new Ministerial Childhood and Families Taskforce which is considering exactly how we will take these commitments forward. More details will follow shortly.

But what I can tell you is that we won’t be doing anything without consulting with employers first. We do not want to push you down a road you don’t want go down. The time of centralisation, top down targets and bureaucratic procedures is now over. We recognise that the only way we are going to make this work is if you are in the driver’s seat. We will be turning to you for your advice and ideas about how we can replicate what you are all doing on a much wider level. Our role is first and foremost to support you in the steps you are already taking by helping you provide your employees with even more choice about the way they work, but in a way that meets the needs of your business.

My final message to you is please go out there and spread the word. Tell those less convinced of the arguments the benefits flexible working is bringing to your organisations. They will listen to you a lot harder, than they will listen to me or anyone else in Government.

Thank you again for all you are doing. And I look forward to working with all of you in the future.