flexible working available. This unawareness is demonstrated by Hayward et al. finding less than 30% of employees satisfied with the amount of information available to them.164 The UK could follow the German government’s lead, setting targets to increase from a quarter to a third, the proportion of job adverts that mention working hour flexibility.165 This may promote a change in attitudes, breaking the implicit taboo of flexibility which perpetuates the ‘care penalty’.
164
Bruce Hayward, Barry Fong and Alex Thornton, “The Third Work-Life Balance Employer Survey: Main Findings”, Employment Relations Research Series, No. 86 (Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform, December 2007), https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/193 626/bis-07-1656-the-third-work-life_balance-employer-survey-main-findings.pdf. 165 Bundesministerium fuer Familie, Senioren, Frauen and Jugend (BMFSFJ), Arbeitsbericht zum Unternehmensprogramm ‘Erfolgsfaktor Familie’ [Report about the Enterprise Program: Success Factor: Family] (2008).
53