It is already clear that, post pandemic, there will be fundamental differences to the way we live our lives, with the way we work being a key aspect. The coronavirus crisis has enabled many people to revaluate what is important in life and has given us a taste of the work-from-home lifestyle that many will be reluctant to give up once the pandemic is over. In fact, research by YouGov shows that pre-COVID only 32% of British employees ever worked from home, but that once the crisis is over most (57%) want to be able to continue working from home, either the whole or some of the time.
Historically women have made up the majority of flexible or home workers for childcare reasons, however, for families with two working parents, the last year and a bit has also seen a sharp increase in shared childcare responsibility. Indeed, research by Working Families has revealed that 68% of employers surveyed said male parents and carers have shown more interest in flexible working since the pandemic hit.
This is encouraging, but what more can be done to help promote flexible working to male corporate communications professionals? Corporate comms employers can play an important part in creating sustainable options for fathers, which is key to creating greater levels of equality between male and female employees. Moreover, in the post-covid world, your flexibly offerings to enable both parents to share childcare could be a dealbreaker to both potential and current employees.
The Works Search a search consultancy specialising in PR and corporate communications. We have unrivalled matching abilities and known for finding the top 5% performers in the industry - the ones who deliver and make your reputation great. For more advice or market insights, do get in touch with us on 0207 903 9291 or email sarah@the-works.co.uk