§ Helen JonesTo ask the Minister for Women what research she has commissioned into the effect of a long working hours culture on women's employment and promotion prospects; and if she will make a statement. [172845]
§ Ms HewittI have commissioned no specific research into the impact of a long working hours culture on women's employment and promotion prospects, however last year my Department published "Working Long Hours: a review of the evidence" which was commissioned from the Institute for Employment Studies. It is available on the internet at hppt://www.dti.gov.uk/er/emar.
Its main findings are that 11 per cent. of employees in the UK work long hours (over 48 hours per week). There are clear gender differences with men more likely 680W to work long hours than women. Two thirds of women who work long hours are in managerial and professional occupations (23 per cent. and 40 per cent. respectively).
Through the Work-Life Balance Campaign and the introduction of the right to request flexible working, my Department has sought to demonstrate the benefits of alternative work patterns. Employers who pursue family friendly policies and provide their employees with choice about how they work, report greater motivation and productivity and a reduction in recruitment and retention costs.
In April my Department published research complied by the Office for National Statistics on the first year of the flexible working law. It showed that overall the new flexible working law is proving to have been a huge success. Many more flexible working requests (86 per cent.) are being either fully or partly accepted by employers compared to the rate immediately prior to the new law (77 per cent.). The study can be found at the website mentioned above. 11 per cent. of flexible working requests made since April 2003 were declined, which represents a near halving of the rate of refusal by employers compared with the previous two years. And it suggests the new law has significantly increased employers' willingness to consider employee requests.
The Second Work-Life Balance Baseline Survey of Employers published in 2003 showed that more than nine out of 10 employers agree that people will work best when they can strike a healthy balance between work and the rest of their lives. The report is also available at the website mentioned above. The report also revealed an increase in the provision of flexible working time practices by employers. Significantly this increase was not confined to workplaces of a particular size or in a particular sector or industry.