For immediate release                                                                        

Tuesday, July 1

New flexible work right positive for finance industry

The new legal right to request flexible working hours will be very positive for finance sector workers, a majority of whom are women say their union Finsec.

Finsec is a member of the Coalition for Quality Flexible Work who have advocated for the legislation that comes into force today which provides workers with caregiving responsibilities a legal right to request flexible working hours.

“Flexible work is especially good for industries like banking and finance where there are high numbers of women workers, many of whom have caregiving responsibilities. We expect this legislation to be a driver for major change to work practices across the finance sector,” said Finsec Campaigns Director Andrew Campbell.

“The BNZ has already trialed a Flexible Working programme and is currently looking at their next steps with rolling out flexible work practices across the bank. What is great about the BNZ’s pilot is that it provides flexible work, where possible, to all workers – not just those with caregiving responsibilities,” said Campbell.

“The BNZ is being a flexible work leader in our industry, and we hope to see the other employers following in the same direction. The reality is that work can often be accommodated outside of the traditional 9 to 5,” said Campbell.

“What is important is that all workers have the same legal right to request flexible work and the same legal right in relation to acceptance or refusal of a request. Flexible work should be available for all workers on the same basis. That is why this new legislation is so important. It provides everyone a fair and even playing field,” said Campbell.

“Research from the UK shows that 9 out of 10 requests for flexible work there have either been partially or fully met. We call on all New Zealand employers to match that success rate here,” said Campbell. 

ENDS

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