First Steps Women’s Centre calls for workplace rethink to enable more women to work
One of the longest-established women’s centres is calling for a fundamental shift in how Northern Ireland begins to create more female-friendly workplaces, arguing that the debate must move beyond flexible working to a broader model of supportive working.
Lead researcher, Olivia Turley, and Michael McGoldrick, CEO of First Steps Women’s Centre (FSWC) in Dungannon, made the call on Wednesday at a Supportive Employment Seminar at the Centre.
The event was attended by the Minister for the Economy, Dr Caoimhe Archibald, MLA, and key stakeholders from across Mid Ulster, including survey participants, leading employers, recruitment specialists, Invest NI, and Mid Ulster District Council.
Hosted by broadcaster Lynette Fay, the Centre unveiled new exploratory research it has conducted examining the experiences of women, both in and out of work, alongside the views of local employers across Mid Ulster.
FSWC has been supporting women across Mid Ulster into employment since 1998 through a wide range of learning and professionally accredited courses in employability, wellbeing, and life skills. Each week, over 200 women of all ages and backgrounds from across Mid Ulster access its services, including an on-site creche, minibus transport service, counselling, and hygiene bank.
Participants in the event heard the experiences of 45 women from across Mid Ulster, who participated in the Centre’s Rural Economic Accelerant Project, and from 42 employers that also took part in the research (based on what they offer staff who have been employed by their company for at least 26 weeks).
The findings reveal a stark mismatch between what women say they need to enter or remain in employment and what many of the workplaces that responded currently offer, despite many stating they still often struggle to recruit the right candidates.
Key findings from the survey, include:
64% of the women respondents said flexi-start and finish times would encourage them to join or return to employment. 35% of employer respondents offer flexible start/finish times.
60% of the women respondents identified part-time or reduced hours as critical to inclusion. Employer responses from the survey indicate 55% offer part-time work or reduced hours.
83% of women respondents said childcare or caring responsibilities significantly impact their ability to work or progress in work. 56% of employer respondents include time-off for sick children/dependents as part of their policies. 32% of these respondents offer shared parental leave. 21% allow time-off for women who are carers outside of work.
32% of the women who responded reported that employers not accommodating flexible working directly affects their ability to access work. Almost 15% of the employer respondents said they offered no flexible, part-time, hybrid, or remote working options.
2% of companies that responded offer job sharing as an option.
A further question exploring how many employers include in their job description at the time of advertising that flexible working options can be explored revealed 56% either rarely or never do.
Nearly half of employers surveyed reported difficulties attracting suitable applicants.
Commenting on the Centre’s findings, Michael McGoldrick, Chief Executive of First Steps, said: “This research is a snapshot of employer attitudes and practices across Mid Ulster, but anecdotal evidence would indicate that they are also reflected across much of Northern Ireland."