About the project

Birkett and Forbes have undertaken a wide variety of engaged research around working parents, and particularly fathers. This body of work has included interviews, a national survey and focus groups with new parents to understand how they construct their roles as parents and how they understand and use the policies available to them. Birkett and Forbes have also recently conducted two national surveys with colleagues from the University of Kent to understand employees and managers experiences of working from home during COVID-19 and the impact on their future attitudes and intentions regarding flexible working.

Birkett and Forbes are the first UK academics to look in-depth at the impact of COVID -19 remote working on the future intentions of employees and organisation regarding flexible working.  They explore what this might mean for the future of work and gender equality in the workplace.

Forbes and Birkett were also the first academics in the UK to systematically look into the reasons for the low take up of SPL and to design interventions for improving take up at both the organisation and government level.

Through the use of a strong bank of rich empirical evidence, Birkett and Forbes aim to better inform UK organisations and government departments in future decision making in this field.

Above: Project leads Holly Birkett (Left) and Sarah Forbes (right)