Key findings
“There seems to be
some inconsistency in
the way managers in
the UK Agencies are
dealing with flexible
working policies.”
usable. Nursery provision is an area that may need attention: none
of the Agencies currently have on-site nurseries and places at other
Government-run nurseries are generally in short supply.
“The cost of childcare is a difficult external issue and not one the
Service can easily resolve. Being a case officer based in London
requires going abroad to meet agents – it is the definition of the
job, and there is not much the office can do to change this. Support
from other halves for childcare, therefore, is crucial to the careers of
SIS officers if they need to travel, or to work long hours in London
during a crisis. It is a huge financial burden that SIS officers – and all
civil servants – struggle to cope with, but it is the finances, not any
cultural issues posed by SIS, that are most important here. Parents
who need to leave to meet nursery pick-up times are generally able
to walk out of the door when they need to.”
Working mother at SIS
37. Flexible working arrangements. Flexible working hours can
be a make-or-break issue for those with childcare responsibilities. We
recognise that working from home is not a viable solution, given the
security constraints (although this should be revisited as circumstances
can change). However, we believe it is essential that requests for
flexible working hours are taken seriously and the wishes of staff are
accommodated as far as possible.
“I can’t work from home. I can see that there are real barriers in
terms of securing our information, but I would really like to be able
to do this at least one day a week. This issue does make me think that
I might leave the Service, because most other employers encourage
this style of working and it really helps working parents.
But I have had a really good experience in terms of being able to
work the hours I wanted and people supporting my ‘hard stop’ at the
end of the day. I feel that the Office is one of the better employers
out there in actually making part-time jobs available, rather than
just saying they will. Certainly amongst my peers I have been fairly
unique in the flexibility my employer has shown.”
Working mother at SIS
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