Battle businesswoman backs 'go home on time' campaign

Emma Insley, 45, runs her own business as an independent charity consultant from her home in Battle. She does this flexibly around her children aged nine and five, finishing earlier some days and cutting down on work in school holidays. She is also the chair of trustees for Hastings charity, aGender Education.

She is giving her backing to a campaign run by the charity Working Families, which is calling on parents to make the most of the longest day of the year by leaving on time rather than putting in extra time in their workplace.

Emma said: “My advice for parents seeking a better work life balance is to focus on the things that make the biggest difference. I also recently discovered ‘The Miracle Morning’ by Hal Elrond, which involves getting up an hour earlier to do a meditation routine that sets you up for the day. I find that when I do the ‘Miracle Morning’ I have so much more energy and focus and can end the day with ‘a well-ticked to-do list’. But it is harder in the summer months as the kids are up early and I challenge anyone to meditate whilst being pestered for Cheerios!”

According to figures from Working Families, and Bright Horizons, less than a third (32 per cent) of working parents in the South East said they manged to go home on time every day. Nearly a third (30 per cent) said they went home on time only half the time, or even less frequently .

What’s more, 42 per cent said they don’t stop when they leave work as they put in more hours at home in the evening or weekend and this happens often or all the time.

Workload is the main issue for working parents in the South East with nearly two thirds (62 per cent) stating this was the reason they stayed late.

Sarah Jackson OBE, chief executive of Working Families, said: “We’re encouraging parents across the South East to make the most of the longest day by going home on time and spending quality time with their family.

“It’s also an opportunity for parents to reflect on their own work life balance and think about small changes – or big ones - they could make for lasting improvements.

“While employers and the Government have big roles to play in changing the culture of our work places, parents can help by letting employers know what they need, helping ‘normalise’ the desire for more family friendly and flexible ways of working.

“Going home on time is something we should all feel able to do, not just today but every day.”