It’s not parents who are failing; it is employers and parliament who are failing parents.

These return-to-office mandates are becoming increasingly commonplace because while the Flexible Working Bill made it to the top table, it is toothless and needs continued bolstering to have an impact and stop the presenteeism brigade from getting things ‘back to the way they always were’.

Having kids isn’t a fluffy little hobby like rowing or a nifty side hustle; it’s raising the next generation. And in its bluntest terms, it’s raising the next generation of employees. The UK is desperately in need of more babies, and our birth rate is low – but is it any wonder that many people (including existing parents) are holding off having a baby indefinitely when the cards are so heavily stacked against them?

“Work can be flexible, but parenting can’t. Why return-to-office mandates are failing parents”