More people want flexible hours than cash, company car or gym

Hewitt launches new helpline service for bosses and employees on flexible working.

Flexible working hours are more important than money for nearly a third of people looking for a new job according to a new survey.

The online poll, carried out by recruitment website reed.co.uk with the Department of Trade and Industryís Work-Life Balance campaign, surveyed over 4,000 jobseekers.

Almost half of the respondents (46%) chose flexible working as the benefit they would most look for in their next job, with only 1 in 14 (7%) choosing gym membership and 1 in 10 (10%) opting for a company car;
A third of them would prefer the opportunity to work flexible hours rather than receive 1,000 more pay per year;
7 in 10 (68%) jobseekers would like the chance to work more flexibly when necessary;
8 in 10 (77%) parents with children under 6 said that work-life balance is an important factor in deciding whether to apply for a new job; and
six out of ten workers view work-life balance as an important factor in assessing a potential new job.

The poll comes on the eve of a New Year publicity campaign to raise awareness about the new family friendly employment rights, which start on 6 April 2003.

The new rights ñ introduced by the government ñ mean more pay and leave for new mothers, fathers and adoptive parents. Employers will also have to seriously consider requests from parents with young or disabled children to work more flexibly.

Trade and Industry Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, also launched an enhanced Acas helpline service specially geared to give help and guidance about the new rights and other employment matters to both employers and parents. The new national number is 08457 47 47 47.

Ms Hewitt said:

ìNew Year is when many people start shopping for their next job, but increasingly people want more from work than the usual package. The best businesses are already switched on to this and are using flexible working policies to attract and retain the people they need in the war for talent.

ìThis poll shows that getting a better work-life balance is becoming much more important for all employees ñ men as much as women ñ and the competitive advantages business gains from offering flexible working are now well established.

ìThe new employment rights will be a major step forward in helping businesses hold onto good staff and help millions of working parents balance work and childcare. I urge both employers and employees to call the helpline to find out how they can make these changes work for business.î

Other key findings in the poll were:

Less than 2 in 10 (18%) jobseekers would happily work much longer hours for more money
4 in 10 (43%) men chose flexible working as the benefit they would most look for in a new job, compared with just 13% who would look for company car and only 7% who would look for gym membership
45% of undergraduates or recent graduates would prefer flexibility in hours to a company car (14%) or gym membership (4%)
Nearly a quarter (24%) of managers/ directors said that work-life balance was an extremely important factor in deciding whether to apply for a new job
4 in 10 (37%) women chose flexible working over 1000 more pay per year, compared to 3 in 10 (27%) men

James Reed of recruitment website reed.co.uk, who carried out the study,
commented:
ìThis research is a real wake-up call for employers. Clearly many job-seekers think flexibility is the most important benefit of all. Yet surprisingly, out of over a hundred thousand permanent and temporary jobs on the site less than 60 offer flexitime as a benefit, compared to the thousands who offer company cars or gym membership.

ìToo many organizations seem to be missing out on one of the most effective ways to attract top talent. However this is easily remedied. It seems that employers who highlight opportunities to achieve a better work-life balance will simply be better placed to recruit and retain the people they need.î




The research was carried out via an online poll. The poll was carried out between 25-30 November 2002. 4,813 jobseekers completed the questionnaire.



The DTI Work-Life Balance Campaign was launched in March 2000. The aim of the campaign is to persuade employers to introduce ways of working which meet the needs of the business and customers while simultaneously improving the work-life balance of their employees. Key Government activity includes the 10.5 m Challenge Fund, which provides free consultancy advice for private, public and voluntary employers who want to introduce innovative working practices, which benefit their business and improve their employeesí work-life balance. More information on the DTI Work-Life Balance campaign can be found at