Employers gain from family-friendly policies

Family-friendly employment practices benefit both business and employees, according to research by employment analysts Industrial Relations Services (IRS).

More than two-thirds of leading employers questioned by IRS said that employee commitment and motivation had improved as a result of practices such as flexible hours, subsidised childcare and career breaks. A similar number said that recruitment and retention had improved, whilst 60% found that family- friendly polices had a positive effect on job satisfaction. And 41% said that absence rates were improved by these policies.

The findings are based on a study of 80 employers, including supermarket group ASDA, the BBC, accountants Ernst & Young, rail infrastructure company Railtrack and the Royal and Sun Alliance insurance group.

IRS Employment Trends, issue 697, IRS, 18-20 Highbury Place, London N5 1QP, telephone 020 7354 6742.