Question reference: S6W-13176
- Date lodged: 13 December 2022
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Current status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 January 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had to encourage employers to offer part-time work and flexibility to people with long COVID.
Answer
Although the legal powers governing flexible working are currently reserved to Westminster, Scottish Government is committed to working with employers directly and through their representative bodies to explore ways of promoting and encouraging flexible, agile and inclusive workplaces that benefit all employees.
Improving access to flexible working is an important means to help people balance work and manage a range of health conditions as well as other commitments such as care without dropping out of the workplace with the loss of income, experience and skills that this entails.
In 2022-23 we are providing a total of £222,000 in funding to flexible working experts Flexibility Works to promote and support employers across Scotland to adopt flexible and family friendly workplaces.
Since 2019 we have also funded Timewise to deliver ‘A Fair, Flexible Work Programme for Scotland’ which focused on training a network of 70 Change Agents, both employment professionals and employability advisers on how to promote flexible working to employers and individuals.
In October 2021 our flagship Fair Work First approach to public sector spend included new criteria that asked employers to offer flexible working from day one of employment.
We continue to encourage employers to engage with all employees to consider flexible and hybrid working models where feasible and appropriate. However we recognise that employers are best placed to understand how their operations work most effectively and their employees’ and requests for flexible working, based on consultation with staff and unions.