Since New Labour came to power in May 1997 some developments in employments rights have aimed to promote the balancing between work and family life: “Families are the core of our society, but they are under pressure. Women and men struggle with choices over work and family responsibilities….The government is pledged to support families and children... We want to encourage more family-friendly employment.” These so-called “family- friendly” policies include new statutory rights: parental leave for fathers after a child's birth, parental leave for both parents, time-off for dependants in case of emergencies, adoption leave and a right to request flexible working. These changes in employment laws have occurred gradually: first the Employment Rights Act (1999) and the Maternity and Parental, etc Regulations (1999) have simplified the former legislation about maternity leave and have given rights to fathers. Then there have been some extensions with the Employment Act (2002) with longer periods of paid maternity leave, the introduction of paid paternity leave and a right to request for flexible work.
[...] Among all the developments in human rights the right to request flexible working appears to be the most family-friendly: employees have indeed a higher flexibility to balance their work and their personal commitments; they are less stressed. In a nutshell they control better their working life. The expected social effects are an increase in social cohesion, a decrease in breakdowns in marriages and relationships; in a long-term perspective, those practices could boost birth rate. Some additional measures are also family-friendly and are worth being mentioned: the Working Families Tax Credit 1999 introduced lower taxes for low earners with children and a support for eligible child care. [...]
[...] (2000), “Family friendly frolics? The Maternity and Parental Leave, etc. Regulations Industrial Law Journal, Volume 29. T. [...]
[...] Besides, through these new developments in human rights we can not expect a real change in gender relation at home in UK. That leads some authors thinking that it remains some shades of conservatism in New Labour policy[16]. The time when men and women will be equal in the workplace and in the sharing of family duties is still far. References Textbooks - Lewis and Sargeant,(2004) Essentials of Employment Laws , Institute of Personnel and Development, London. -Taylor and Emir (2006) Employment law: an introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford. [...]
[...] Overall I have the impression that these so-called family friendly policies are a bit hypocrite and they look more business-friendly than family- friendly. No one can deny that they offer some improvements for employees but they are offered in so far as they are convenient for employers to do so. For instance firms benefit a lot in terms of flexibility and good reputation. Employers remain quiet free when putting into practices the statutory rights. The regulation about the parental leave permits them to postpone leave. [...]
[...] To conclude this first part we can say the new developments in human rights look both family-friendly and business-friendly. However some criticisms have aroused; they question the background of such measures and the real impact on individuals and families. First of all some employers are very reluctant to implement such measures. The reasons are multiple. The cost of maternity leave or paternity leave for firms can not be neglected even if firms receive some compensation from the government. Some argue that such family-friendly policies cost employers up to $ millions. [...]
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