Flexible working a barrier to career progression for both men and women

December 2nd, 2019: A new survey from My Confidence Matters, in association with Capability Jane Recruitment, has highlighted that around a third of women and men felt a lack of flexible working has impacted their career to date, with 43% stating health and wellbeing as another key factor.

The research, which looked at career confidence and progression, found that, out of 2,500 respondents, 85% of female respondents wanted to reach a more senior position at work, but felt their progression (nearly 35%) had been impacted by a lack of flexible working.

However, these issues aren’t just for women as 30% of men cited lack of flexible working, with more stating that personal relationships (37%), had impacted their career choices to date.

Caroline Doherty, Commercial Director, Capability Jane says: ‘The need to work flexibly isn’t a women-only issue. It’s something that impacts all genders. We know that being able to work flexible hours improves health and wellbeing – we see the two as intrinsically linked – so it’s little surprise these two factors were the main contributors to slowing down career progression.’

This isn’t an issue connected to a specific age group or generation either. In fact, a staggering 54% of under 35s said health and wellbeing had impacted their career, with 36% saying a lack of flexibility. A significant indicator that younger people are very much moving away from the traditional 9-5.

Joy Burnford, My Confidence Matters, says: ‘For those women who are unable to work flexibly, while juggling life and family, it’s little surprise they feel uncertain about progressing their careers. The fact that men also have concerns around how promotion would impact their work-life balance goes to show that this is an issue that needs to be addressed.’
These figures were taken from the report, ‘Getting to Equal: Career Confidence and the Path to Leadership.’ You can download a copy here. https://www.myconfidencematters.com/research

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About Capability Jane
Capability Jane Recruitment (www.capabilityjane.com) was founded in 2007 and specialises in sourcing talented executives on a flexible working basis. Our origins stem from tapping into a pool of talented professionals who leave the corporate world in search of roles that offer greater flexibility. We bring candidates seeking flexible working opportunities together with innovative, growing businesses that are looking for exceptional talent and see the value of flexible working.

About My Confidence Matters
My Confidence Matters was founded by Joy Burnford to help women to embrace their confidence and achieve more fulfilling careers. We work with organisations to inspire modern leaders and ensure that the gender balance is addressed so that women can accelerate to the next stage of their careers.
About the research

This is My Confidence Matters’ (www.myconfidencematters.com) second survey, which involved 2,499 respondents answering various questions about workplace confidence, training, personal and career development. The research has been supported by Capability Jane Recruitment and Dr Geraldine Perriam of the University of Glasgow. The majority of respondents were employed by large organisations with over 1,000 members of staff with a fairly even spread of ages and job roles.

PR Contact
Lisa Doherty
E: lisadoherty@capabilityjane.com
M: 07973 919514
T: 0845 604 1916