Gender equality & inclusion
The loss of experienced, capable women to the workforce is a systemic challenge to UK plc. It costs the economy, hurts companies and damages the career prospects of some of the country’s brightest talent – forced into a binary choice between the demands of work and family life.
By offering flexible working, employers can help solve this problem – not only to attract and retain this talent but to create a more diverse and inclusive workforce, both of which increase productivity and profitability.
The old model of sitting at a desk in an office from 9 to 5 is evolving – driven by technology, society and more recently, the Covid pandemic. The younger generation is also pushing for a greater work-life integration.
The future is flexible
The demand for flexible working is being fuelled by a number of social and economic drivers which, combined, are accelerating the pace of change:
Societal
- More female graduates now enter the workforce than male
- Today’s female workforce expect greater job mobility, satisfaction and purpose-driven employment
Economic
- Flexible work proven to deliver a £23bn bottom line impact on productivity/profitability (source)
- Paradigm shift – the Diversity &Inclusion (D&I) ‘tick box’ is dead - companies have to walk their talk
- A genuine and robust ESG agenda is critical to the future success of companies
Political
- UN SDG No5: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” by 2030
- UK Equality Act 2010; Shared Parental Leave 2014; Gender Pay Gap 2017
- 2021 UK Government introduced Flexible Working Task Force
Covid-19
- Women bore the brunt of the pandemic – companies now need to get them back
- Companies are investing in tech to manage remote and flexible teams
- The pandemic has accelerated adoption of flexible and hybrid working
How do you define flexible working?
Flexible working is a combination of where, how and when you work. The key to success lies in how these three elements are weaved together to reflect the needs of both the employer and employee.
Where?
- Office based
- 100% remote working (telecommute)
- Some work from home allowed
- Some remote working allowed
Contract type
- Freelance
- Full time
- Part time
- Fixed term
Flexible work arrangements
- Flexible hours
- Compressed hours
- Annualised hours
- Job-Share
- Term-time only
Reviews
Employers consistently tell us how impressed they are with the calibre of talent they reach and recruit via 2to3days and how cost-effective we made the hiring process.
And our candidates express their palpable relief that 2to3days exists and the sheer joy of being able to discover a vast array of business and professional roles that can be done flexibly.
Our Partners
We are thrilled to be partnering with this influential group of companies. They are led by compassionate and insightful leaders, committed in their own unique ways to help shape the advancement of women’s equality and inclusion in the workplace.
If your company would like to join our community and help accelerate the pace of change, we would love to hear from you.
Our Champions
We are proud to introduce our 2to3days Champions: a collective of highly influential and impassioned individuals who are as deeply committed to championing women’s equality and inclusivity in the workplace as we are.
Our champions all want to do their bit to accelerate the pace of change and close the gender gap. They see flexible working, in all its guises, as a real gamechanger. If you feel inspired to become a 2to3days Champion, we’d love to hear from you.
