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New Zealand – One in five businesses offer flexible working for parents

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New Zealand – One in five businesses offer flexible working for parents

26 April 2018

One in five New Zealand organisations, or approximately 18%, offer flexible hours for parents in order to cover childcare, according to a survey from software and solutions firm MYOB.

The survey, which covered more than 1,000 small-to-medium sized businesses across New Zealand, also found that 60% of them offer some form of flexible work options to staff.

The range of arrangements offered include working from home (34%), flexible start and finish times (22%) and four-day working weeks (8%). Meanwhile, larger businesses were found to be more likely to offer flexible work arrangements.

MYOB New Zealand general manager Carolyn Luey says employees are increasingly looking for flexible work arrangements from employers as advancements in technology, such as new online communication tools and cloud-based business management software, allows them to work remotely and juggle their time.

“The average working parent receives four weeks of annual leave a year, while their children can receive up to 12 weeks of school holidays,” Luey said. “So, taking time off to manage childcare can be a real challenge if you can’t change your hours or have the ability to work from home.”

Luey added that while day-care centres, school holiday programmes and full-time nannies are viable options, Luey says not all parents can afford such care.

“With the right support from their employers, working parents can meet both their professional and parental duties with ease,” Luey said.