Study Shows More Than Half of Working Parents Think About Leaving Job for Better Flexibility

According to People Management, more than half or 55 percent of working parents would prefer to leave their current job if they found another with better flexibility, says the 2021 Work Reimagined Employee Survey. The research which polled 992 parents in August this year determined that around 31 percent would apply for a job that did not list flexible working options in the advert. 82 percent of working parents and 90 percent of unemployed parents said that they would apply for a work that appears to have better flexibility.

Melissa Jamieson, chief executive of Timewise, said that employers could attract more talent if they start advertising flexible options as it is well known among all candidates specifically to working parents. Jamieson added that flexible hiring is a crucial attraction instrument for employers as they need to fully understand that flexible working is commonly a candidate's first thought.

Furthermore, a better option serves as roles that have flexibility in which employers can tap into a larger and more diverse talent pool. The research also determined that flexibility is the top and main priority for 66 percent or around two-thirds of working parents. 30 percent believed that they worked in roles below their skill for greater flexibility.

Flexibility appears to be a must have

Jane Van Zyl, chief executive of Working Families told the outlet that many companies remain searching for competitiveness and how to support working parents as flexibility nowadays appears to be a must-have not only for parents but also for companies. Zyl also notes that due to the cost of living crisis, many families were put into financial jeopardy. Also, many are also forced to work two jobs for additional income.

Another study from Business in the Community or BITC determined that weekly childcare for kids ages below two costs some parents more than half of their take-home pay as the study found that nursery costs 65 percent of the weekly median-take-home pay for one adult. Katy Neep, gender equality campaign director at BITC suggests employers also look at the quality of work and how it was done.

On the other hand, Victoria Benson, chief executive of single-parent charity Gingerbread, emphasized the cost of childcare as a massive financial burden, particularly for single parents, and called on employers to propose truthfully flexible roles.

Another study entitled Raising Kids and Running a Household: How Working Parents Share the Load published by Pew Research Center determined that many parents find it hard to balance both jobs and family obligations as it appears very challenging. 56 percent admit balancing is difficult, 42 percent state it's somewhat difficult, and only 14 percent believe it is now difficult.

Working parents need to pay attention to their kids for growth

Benson urged all employers to consider making workplaces more appealing and accessible to parenting alone. Unfortunately, almost all working parents had a hard time balancing particularly taking care of their kids, as a result, they do not give their young ones enough time. According to the data published on Lane Kids, kids actually need attention for them to grow and develop self-esteem as well as to succeed.

If kids do not receive enough attention, they would end up being attention-seekers. It's normal for kids to need attention and approval, however, such behavior can be a problem if it happens all the time or it can already cause trouble either at school or with peers, per Family Education.