WIREDGOV

The TUC yesterday (Monday) warned a lack of flexible working is “driving parents out of jobs” as a new poll reveals a third (33 per cent) of parents with children under the age of 7 have left a job due to lack of flexible working. 

• NEW TUC POLLING reveals parents with young children are being “driven out of jobs” due to lack of flexible working arrangements. 
• Findings show flexible working requests have a high rejection rate. 
• Lack of access to flexible working is “locking parents out of labour market”, warns TUC. 
• Union body welcomes new rights for workers and calls for government to go further by introducing an advertising duty on employers. 

Almost a third (30 per cent) of parents of children under 7 said they had experienced informal flexible working requests being rejected in part or in full.

The polling – conducted by Opinium – was yesterday published after a government consultation on improving access to flexible working under the Employment Rights Act closed in April. 

The findings also show that in parents with children under 7: 

• Almost three quarters (73 per cent) of parents under 7 said they were more likely to apply for a job if it included flexible working in the job advert 
• Around half (53 per cent) said they were somewhat (22 per cent) or very (31 per cent) unlikely to apply for a job without knowing if the working pattern would fit around their life and responsibilities 
• Almost half (49 per cent) said they were unlikely to make a request on the first day of the job 
• Almost one in five (18 per cent) did not know they had a right to request flexible working 
• Almost half (48 per cent) said they had negative experiences as a result, for example, feeling their opinion was less valued or taken less seriously, or getting fewer opportunities than other colleagues at same level

 The TUC says access to flexible work can be a “gamechanger” for millions of workers including women, disabled workers, parents and workers with other caring commitments. But the polling shows that flexible working is still stigmatised - with high rates of rejection and negative treatment for those who do work flexibly.   

The union body says the high rejection rate and poor treatment of flexible working requests shows that government is right to take action to make flexible working the default under the Employment Rights Act.   

Under the new rights employers will have to follow more through steps before they can reject requests, employers will have to accept requests if they are reasonable and feasible and if they choose to reject, employers must explain why their decision is reasonable, reducing the rate of unfair rejections and giving more people access to flexible working. The government has been consulting on the steps employers must follow when considering rejecting a flexible working request – these must be robust to ensure requests are considered thoroughly and fairly and rejection rates are reduced. 

The TUC also says ministers need to go “further and faster” and introduce an advertising duty on employers. This would compel employers to consider what types of flexibility could be offered for a role before it goes live and advertise those options up front - with the successful candidate able to take these up. This would mean parents know before applying for a job whether it will work for them. While new legislation should help ensure more requests are approved, many parents say that they need to know what the flexible working options are before they apply for roles.   

The TUC says flexible working is key to keeping people in work and enables people to move within the labour market. 

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak yesterday said:  

“As many parents return to work after the half term break, anyone with kids knows that being able to work flexibly isn’t a perk. It is a lifeline for working families. 

“But the truth is too many parents are still being locked out of the labour market due to rigid and outdated attitudes in the workplace. 

“Improving access to flexible working benefits workers, businesses and the economy - whether it's through increasing staff productivity or higher retention.  

“That’s why the government is right in its ambition to make flexible working the default through the Employment Rights Act. But ministers must go further. It’s time we saw a legal duty on employers to advertise possible flexibility in roles to fit around workers’ lives.” 

Notes to Editors: 

• The question asked parents under 7 if they had “ever” left a job due to lack of flexible working.
• The answers on flexible working requests covers both informal and statutory requests. For statutory requests the figure is 18 per cent.  
• Methodology: Polling conducted by Opinium on behalf of the TUC. Sample size 3,000 UK workers. Weighted to be representative of the UK working population (18+), excluding full-time students. Weights have been applied on age interlocked with gender and highest qualification, region, ethnicity, full-time and part-time working, and employee and self-employed employment. Targets based on estimates from the Annual Population Survey (October 2024-September 2025); highest qualification targets based from the 2021 and 2022 census. Field work conducted 2-12 January 2026.  
• Results have been filtered to parents of children aged 0 to 7 (500n). 
• Consultation on flexible working: the government consultation on flexible working closed on 30 April. TUC response is here: https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/2026-05/ConsultationFlexibleWorking.pdf
• About the TUC: The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together the 5.3 million working people who make up our 47 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living.  

Contacts:

TUC press office
media@tuc.org.uk   
020 7467 1248