More effort could be made into reducing stress in the workplace
Flexible hours and other family-friendly employment policies are of limited help to working mothers if their work spills over into their home life, researchers said today.
A report for social policy charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that flexible hours often leave mothers feeling overloaded and under stress while at work. Researchers at South Bank University interviewed 37 mothers and 30 fathers in couples with at least one child aged under five during 2001.
They charted the experiences of mothers in contrasting workplaces - a large accountancy firm and hospital - and found no evidence of the women becoming more work-centred at the expense of family life. Some mothers, nevertheless, expressed concern that their jobs had a negative impact on the family, particularly when they were overstretched at work.
Separate interviews with the women's partners showed widespread agreement that the mother's work was having a positive impact on family relationships and was a good role model for children.
However, a number of fathers felt uneasy about the demands placed on their partners at work and the effect that work-related stress could have on their children and their relationship with each other.
The researchers suggest that “family-friendly” policies can be improved by putting more effort into reducing stress in the workplace. More attention could be paid to controlling workloads, managing the intensity of work and ensuring that goals and targets were achievable in the time available.
Professor Claire Callender, co-author of the report, said: “I hope employers will look at how their working practices and the working ethos of the organisation can have an impact on making it difficult for mothers to combine paid employment with family responsibilities.”
Research Fellow Tracey Reynolds, who co-wrote the report, said: “This was a small-scale study, but our findings do highlight how stresses in family relationships can arise as much from the quality of time spent at work by mothers as the amount of time they spend at work.”
Susan Anderson, CBI director of human resources policy, said the issue of work-related stress was an issue for all working parents, “and not just working mothers”.
She added: “Employers recognise that the modern workplace places pressure on employees, but too many employees are suffering in silence instead of talking with their managers about the issues involved, such as the impact on family life.
“Employers are not in the business of losing valuable staff and are quite prepared to be flexible - indeed, working parents with young children have the right to request flexible working arrangements by law.
“However, there are limits to flexibility and employers must be able balance employees' needs with those of the business.”
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