Blog
Welcome to our blog where we explore news, policy developments and best practice ideas relating to how parents and carers can fully meet their work and caring responsibilities, and how their employers can best support them.
In the interests of open debate and the exploration of new ideas, any views expressed here may not necessarily represent the formal view of Working Families.
Reflections – 20 Years of the Working Families Helpline
To mark our 20th anniversary, we talked to Sophie Forsyth, our longest-serving team member, about her 12 'happy' years volunteering on the helpline.
“A month after my return to work from maternity leave, my world fell apart”
Sera is a qualified NLP Practitioner, coach & mentor, author of ‘Dana’s Walk’ and co-author of ‘Transforming Your Life’, and mum to Dana (aged 20) with Cerebral Palsy
Food For Your Soul
Receiving queries from clients who are on the verge of becoming homeless with no way to feed their babies always affect me the most, even though they are far and few between.
Juggling life, work and volunteering
This week we are celebrating National Pro Bono week (22-29 October) by highlighting the work of our very generous and knowledgeable volunteer solicitors who offer pro bono advice on our helpline and email platform.
Here is one easy change for all employers to make this National Work Life Week
If employers are serious about creating a culture where employees with caring responsibilities feel supported, then they need to be more open about how they do that in practice.
Employers have a clear role to play in supporting parents and carers in work
As part of a recent research project, we spoke with parents and people who are caring for adult friends and relatives about managing their caring responsibilities at the same time as managing employment and polled the public.
Making Parliament as family-friendly as possible
The Houses of Parliament will always be a symbol of our shared culture and history, but it is a workplace that has, at times, struggled to keep pace with modernity and societal change.
Time to create a system fit for the future
Much of the debate around gender equality has focussed on the need to help women achieve parity with men, in terms of how they are treated and how much they are paid.
Using the Part Time Workers Regulations in litigation
Alison Humphry, Partner at Workwise Legal LLP, explains the differences in the Part Time Workers Regulations and the Equality Act, and when it is most appropriate to use each, or both, of them.
The Government has missed the opportunity to give a rocket boost to fathers taking a greater role in their children’s lives
After the government's recent formal response to the Fathers in the Workplace Inquiry, father of two Adam Gretton talks about the huge missed opportunity for Shared Parental Leave.
Why SPL matters for the self-employed
I’m a recording engineer & music producer by trade. I started the Parental Pay Equality campaign to change the law to give self-employed people access to Shared Parental Leave (SPL).
Making a successful flexible working request
If you’re an employee who has worked for the same employer for at least 26 weeks, then your employer has a legal duty to reasonably consider your flexible working request.