On Tuesday 16th July we will be supporting MP Helen Whately’s 10 minute rule bill to demand that all jobs are flexible by default. The more MPs supporting this bill the more likely it is to pass so we need you to write to your MP and ask them to support this.
If you click here then you can fill in your postcode and it will direct you to a template to populate so you can email your MP direct. Please copy and paste the example letter below and send.
We would love to see you on the 16th July at Victoria Tower Gardens from 12.30pm to show your support for this bill. Please do pop along with banners and bairns if you can.
Joeli and the Pregnant Then Screwed team
Letter template:
Dear MP,
On the 16th July, Helen Whately MP will be reading her 10 minute rule bill calling for all jobs to be flexible by default. Jobs must be advertised as flexible unless the employer can justify why the job cannot be done flexibly. As your constituent, I am asking you to support this bill and to attend the press call being held on Victoria Tower Gardens at 12.30pm that day.
There’s a huge disconnect between the 9 out of 10 people who want to work flexibly and the 1 in 10 jobs that are currently advertised as flexible.
This lack of upfront flexibility locks people out of the workplace and traps others in part-time work that’s often low paid, undervalued and below their skill level.
However, with 96% of employers already offering some form of flexible working, most jobs should be able to accommodate one or more forms of flexibility. And it doesn’t just work for individuals, it’s good for the economy too. Flexible working has shown to increase productivity, staff wellbeing, staff retention and company profit. Research by McKinsey shows that enabling women to achieve their full potential in the workplace, including through widening flexible working, could add £148 billion to the UK economy by 2030. And when fathers work flexibly and share the childcare, mothers are twice as likely to advance in their careers as when fathers work traditionally (Frith, 2016)
To protect our economy for the future and to improve people’s work life balance we need a change in the law to make sure employers prioritise genuine flexibility within their organisations.
Flexible working should not be seen as a perk for favoured employees but as a normal way to work in the modern world.
We hope you will attend the press call at 12.30pm on Victoria Tower Gardens on the 16th July to support Flex For All. To confirm your attendance please email: [email protected] so she can ensure you are listed as a supporter in all of their comms.
