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Flexible
Working Extension Will Reduce Productivity Say Businesses
Nearly
Two-Thirds Reject Increase in Paid Paternity Leave
Productivity
will suffer if flexible working rights for employees are extended,
reveals a survey of businesses across the UK.
Sixty-one
percent of businesses polled by Croner Consulting, one of the
UK's leading providers of business advice and support, fear the
Government's recent proposal to extend paid maternity leave from
six to twelve months will negatively impact their bottom line.
The results
coincide with today's survey by the British Chambers of Commerce
which shows that small firms are against any new rights for workers
at all.
Richard Smith,
HR expert at Croner Consulting, part of Wolters Kluwer (UK), believes
that current provisions for working parents are adequate and is
supporting the view of those businesses that would find it difficult
to cope if new legislation is introduced.
He says: "The
survey results aren't surprising and echo a rising debate of whether
employees' rights are going too far.
"Most
employers try to accommodate working parents as best as they can,
but the law should support the employer's need for the work to
be done. Employers' rights need to be balanced with those of the
employee and further provisions for parents and carers would leave
many businesses struggling to cope.
"This
is especially true for smaller firms who may find it difficult
to bear the costs of recruiting and training replacement staff."
Childless
workers do not have equivalent rights to time off work and Richard
points out that this could also affect productivity by causing
conflict in the workplace.
He says: "Childless
workers are likely to become demotivated and disgruntled as they
may feel it is unfair that they do not have the same rights to
time off work or flexible working. They also face the strain of
picking up additional work when parents are absent due to maternity
or paternity leave, or to accommodate childcare responsibilities."
A further
recent Croner Consulting survey revealed that 54 percent of employers
do not think that a father's right to paternity leave should be
made equal to maternity leave.
Richard says:
"It's clear that employers feel strongly about parental rights
and have justified concerns that their business could suffer if
new legislation was introduced. Both maternity and paternity rights
were extended last April and they adequately allow people to enjoy
both a family and a career."
The survey
of Human Resources professionals was carried out on Croner's www.humanresources-centre.net.
The question asked, "Will extending maternity
leave by a further six months affect British businesses' productivity?"
61% voted 'yes' and 39% voted 'no'.
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