‘Overwhelmingly frustrating’: Half of new fathers have requests for flexible working denied, study finds

Exclusive: ‘The stress of having to fit the working day around my childcare was making me ill. It was overwhelmingly frustrating,’ father says

The TUC issued a plea for a day one right for flexible working conditions as well as for all job adverts to explicitly state the form of flexible working within the job position (Alamy/PA)

Half of new fathers and partners eligible for paternity leave are having their requests for flexible working denied by employers, according to new research.

A study by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) found fathers and partners on lower incomes were even less likely to have their flexible working requests accepted.

Researchers found around two-thirds of fathers and partners entitled to paternity leave with household incomes below £40,000 had their requests for flexible working partially or totally rejected – in comparison to around half of those making over £40,000.

The TUC, which exclusively shared their findings with The Independent, issued a plea for a day-one right for flexible working, as well as for all job adverts to explicitly state flexible working conditions.

Researchers, who polled just over 2,000 parents with children under the age of six, discovered just over a third of fathers and partners with household incomes under £40,000 were permitted the full flexible working arrangements they requested.

This is a substantially lower proportion compared to half of those with household incomes above £40,000.

Paul Hargerst told The Independent he was initially allowed to work from home but his working conditions changed - noting several of his requests for flexible working were rejected.

The 41-year-old, whose seven-year-old daughter lives with him half of the time, said juggling school runs with the work day was very difficult.

“I got signed off with stress,” Mr Hargerst added. “The stress of having to fit the working day around my childcare was making me ill. It was overwhelmingly frustrating. I joined the business with the view this was going to fit my lifestyle. I ended up being very anxious about having to leave the office to collect my daughter.”

He noted he asked his employer if he could work in a co-working space near his daughter’s school on days when he had to drop off his daughter at school and pick her up, but this was not allowed. He was instead forced to make a 45-minute trip into Bristol city centre, he recalled.

“It was horrendous,” Mr Hargerst added. “I would be leaving early and there would be this pressure and questions like ‘Why are you leaving early?' It was this strange concoction of discipline over productivity.”

He now runs his own digital marketing agency, he said, adding that inflexible working served as a “catalyst” for him to set the firm up.

Dr Mark Gatto, another father, explained it was “disappointing” his request for flexible working was rejected but explained he has been able to work flexibly via informal mechanisms.

But the 36-year-old university lecturer, who has two young children, said challenges persist - recalling he used to have half an hour to get from his childcare provider to start teaching some mornings.

“It was a pressurised rush,” Dr Gatto, who is based in the North East, added. “That is the last thing children enjoy. It would normally create a tense atmosphere - navigating traffic with more stress with every minute that slips by. Thursday was the big pressure day - we would all dread it.”

Paul Nowak, the TUC’s general secretary, said fathers and partners are losing “precious time with their children” while mothers “continue to shoulder most of the caring responsibilities which hits their earnings and careers”.

He added: “That’s not right. Flexibility must become the norm for all workers. Without it, inequality for women will worsen, and mums will continue to lose out on pay and opportunities at work.

“Ministers need to change the law so that every job advert makes clear what kind of flexible working is available in that role, so people know before they start a job whether it works for them and their families.”

Adrienne Burgess, joint chief executive at the Fatherhood Institute, said the findings of the research echo other studies that have found fathers endure a “particular ‘flex stigma’”.

She added: “They’re usually the higher earner in the household, which makes asking for flexibility feel more risky. And when they do ask, they’re very likely to have their request rejected.”

A spokesperson for the government has been contacted for comment.