Flexible working policies filter through to t

The glass ceiling that has prevented part-time workers and those who choose to work flexibly from taking top management positions is starting to disappear, a new survey reveals.

Research by campaign group Working Families for Lehman Brothers indicates that flexible working policies are increasingly being made available for senior management roles, allowing key employees to balance their work and home lives more effectively.

The report claims that the situation is a "win-win" for workers and bosses, with generally conservative professions such as banking, law and finance now offering flexible and part-time work at the highest levels to meet staff demands.

Workers with highly-paid skills sets can now combine working in the City with bringing up children or caring for relatives, with compressed hours, home working and part-time work or job sharing providing a better work-life balance for thousands of employees.

Covering organisations such as Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers, Microsoft and BT, the study also warns that the myth still exists in many businesses that jobs can only be done full-time in an office environment and employers need to start thinking more broadly in order to boost recruitment and retention rates.

The research examines the case studies of 23 senior managers, with 18 choosing to work reduced hours and five working full-time from a base at home or compressing their hours into a shorter week.

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Date:24/05/2007 11:57:55