Workplaces need to accommodate both short term emergencies and more routine family responsibilities if they are to meet the different priorities of men and women when it comes to managing work and family life says the ACTU.

Releasing a national survey showing men most need time off work for family emergencies while women need more flexible working hours, ACTU President Sharan Burrow said:

“A recent Newspoll survey conducted for the ACTU shows that workplaces need major changes to give both men and women what they need to help balance work and family. When asked what would be most useful for managing work and family:

The most important issue for men is a right to time off work for family
emergencies (29.5%).

The most useful option for women is an obligation for employers to
provide family flexible working hours (29.6%).

For both men and women, more Government help for childcare rates
highly with around one in five (19.3%) nominating it as the most useful.

One in ten full time workers (11.3%) want a choice to work part time – with women being twice as likely as men to prefer part time work. Overall,
almost nine in ten respondents (87%) chose options other than extra Government
family payments as the most useful.

The results show that with women continuing to bear the brunt of family caring responsibilities, while time off for family emergencies is important, what women need most are flexible working arrangements that accommodate the daily demands of caring for children and dependents.

The results also indicate that men’s caring roles interfere with their work when usual care arrangements break down. Fathers are called in as a back-up when children cannot go to childcare or school or when a carer is sick or unavailable and that is why they would most prefer workplace changes to give them time off for emergencies.

Overall, the survey confirms that a full package of major changes to workplaces and more help with childcare is needed to properly support parents to balance work and family responsibilities.The Howard Government is off-target with its big spending family policies in the recent Budget because not enough is being done to bring workplaces in to line with the real needs of families today.

The survey confirms that working families want time much more than they want money. They want more say over their work so they can look after sick kids, get to childcare, cover school holidays, and have stress-free time with their children and partners.

Most workplaces don’t allow people the flexibility they need and that’s why the ACTU is running the first ever work and family test case in the Industrial Relations Commission. The ACTU case is seeking flexible working hours and holiday times to accommodate school and childcare, extra emergency leave to care for a child or relative, a choice to work part time, and the extension of unpaid parental leave from 12 to 24 months.”

Work And Family Survey – Newspoll May 2004

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS WOULD BE THE MOST USEFUL FOR MANAGING THE BALANCE BETWEEN WORK AND FAMILY?

Source: National capital city poll conducted by Newspoll 21-23 May 2004. 700 respondents.