This report reviews the evidence on progress in the UK and how we compare with a selection of EU economies. The report also looks six specific forms of flexible working – flexitime, working at home during regular office hours, compressed hours, job-sharing, term-time working and reduced hours and – and comments on the main findings, drawing on the CIPD UK Working Lives survey.

The report recognises the need for a new flexible working policy framework if significant progress is to be made over the next 15 years. We therefore strongly welcome the establishment of the Flexible Working Task Force by the current government as part of a wider commitment to improve the quality of work through enhanced promotion of good practice via key partners and stakeholders. The Taskforce has brought together a summary of the evidence underpinning the business case for maximising the use of flexible working practices and has used its members to launch a communications campaign to highlight the importance of adverting more jobs as flexible.

Download the report