South West Parents Work An Extra Six Weeks Of Unpaid Overtime

Families in the South West are missing precious time together due to inflexible working hours.

According to Working Families, 62 per cent of South West parents are working extra hours of unpaid overtime.

A total of 28 per cent are having to stay behind at work to the equivalent of six weeks with no extra pay.

Chief executive of Working Families, Sarah Jackson said: “Sadly the notion of presenteeism persists in many businesses in the South West with many working parents feeling pressure to work extra unpaid hours.

“Families need time as well as money to thrive. Flexible working patterns can give parents the balance they need between work and family life, and deliver motivated, productive employees for businesses. But this only works if jobs are designed properly – and can be done in the hours allocated to them.

More than half of parents said they felt their working hours detrimentally affected the time they had to support their child’s needs, with 69 per cent missing important milestones, performances or parents’ evenings.