Since 2014 everyone in the UK has had the right to request flexible working. Many of us (87%) would like to work more flexibly and interestingly, the demand is strong across all age ranges and for both men and women. So why is it that most jobs (89%) are still not advertised as flexible?
A concern I often hear from employers is, “we don’t want to set a precedent,” as well as apprehension about quality of work and productivity. However, in my experience (and now through recent research completed by the CIPD and Affinity Health) there is plenty of evidence of the huge benefits of flexible working – for both employer and employee.
The benefits of flexible working
Did you know, having flexibility can motivate us even more than financial incentives. I know this to be true anecdotally because of all the female friends I’ve spoken to in the last 15 years who stay with their Employer following maternity leave because of the years of trust and flexibility they’ve been able to build up – which they don’t believe they will get if they moved Employer. But flexible working shouldn’t just be limited to maternity returners. Here are some of the benefits organisations will get from quality flexible working, which came out of the CIPD/Affinity research:
A concern I often hear from employers is, “we don’t want to set a precedent,” as well as apprehension about quality of work and productivity. However, in my experience (and now through recent research completed by the CIPD and Affinity Health) there is plenty of evidence of the huge benefits of flexible working – for both employer and employee.
The benefits of flexible working
Did you know, having flexibility can motivate us even more than financial incentives. I know this to be true anecdotally because of all the female friends I’ve spoken to in the last 15 years who stay with their Employer following maternity leave because of the years of trust and flexibility they’ve been able to build up – which they don’t believe they will get if they moved Employer. But flexible working shouldn’t just be limited to maternity returners. Here are some of the benefits organisations will get from quality flexible working, which came out of the CIPD/Affinity research:
• address skills shortages • attract and retain talent and support diversity
• narrow the gender pay gap • improve employee job satisfaction and loyalty
• support well-being • empower organisations to be more agile and responsive to change.
In the UK, the most common form of flexible working is part-time hours (for 25% of the workforce), but part-time working is only part of the picture. Remember, flexible working can cover a whole range of practices: job-sharing, flexitime, compressed hours, annualised hours, term-time-only working, working from home, and mobile working. Organisations need to promote a greater range of flexible work practices to all employees that will suit both organisational and individual needs.
Recommendations
So, if we know that most of us would like more flexibility, what can we learn from organisations that do this already? Here are the top 10 recommendations that came out of the recent research:
1 Clarify the benefits of flexible working to the organisation and to individuals
2 Find the compelling hook or business imperative that will gain traction in the organisation
3 Communicate to dispel myths around what flexible working is and who it is for, share successes and build communities
4 Find creative ways to encourage a range of flexible working practices for all employees – both in terms of innovative flexible working initiatives and creative ways to build flexibility into job roles that have not traditionally been seen as suitable for flexible working
5 Aim to hire flexibly and design the jobs to suit the flexible pattern (that is, full-time jobs are not squeezed into part-time hours)
6 Ensure ongoing access to development and career conversations for flexible workers
7 Set the organisational context and consider organisational facilitators and barriers, including creating a supportive organisational culture, underpinned by leadership and HR support
8 Gain manager buy-in through communicating benefits and sharing success stories and providing support and guidance
9 Consider the facilitators and barriers at manager, team and individual level.
10 Measure and evaluate flexible working and learn from trials using quantitative and qualitative measures
Sound easy? I know it’s not, that’s why I’ve highlighted point 7 above. Getting support to review your organisation’s context, culture as well as leadership capability is key. I can help with all of those things and I’d be delighted to help facilitate improved flexible working opportunities – to enable your organisation and the wellbeing of your employees, to thrive! Do get in touch if you’d like to discuss further.
Ruth George
HR Consultant
ruth@ruthgeorge.com; 07899 920075
This is not legal advice and is provided for general information only. © Ruth George HR Consulting.
• narrow the gender pay gap • improve employee job satisfaction and loyalty
• support well-being • empower organisations to be more agile and responsive to change.
In the UK, the most common form of flexible working is part-time hours (for 25% of the workforce), but part-time working is only part of the picture. Remember, flexible working can cover a whole range of practices: job-sharing, flexitime, compressed hours, annualised hours, term-time-only working, working from home, and mobile working. Organisations need to promote a greater range of flexible work practices to all employees that will suit both organisational and individual needs.
Recommendations
So, if we know that most of us would like more flexibility, what can we learn from organisations that do this already? Here are the top 10 recommendations that came out of the recent research:
1 Clarify the benefits of flexible working to the organisation and to individuals
2 Find the compelling hook or business imperative that will gain traction in the organisation
3 Communicate to dispel myths around what flexible working is and who it is for, share successes and build communities
4 Find creative ways to encourage a range of flexible working practices for all employees – both in terms of innovative flexible working initiatives and creative ways to build flexibility into job roles that have not traditionally been seen as suitable for flexible working
5 Aim to hire flexibly and design the jobs to suit the flexible pattern (that is, full-time jobs are not squeezed into part-time hours)
6 Ensure ongoing access to development and career conversations for flexible workers
7 Set the organisational context and consider organisational facilitators and barriers, including creating a supportive organisational culture, underpinned by leadership and HR support
8 Gain manager buy-in through communicating benefits and sharing success stories and providing support and guidance
9 Consider the facilitators and barriers at manager, team and individual level.
10 Measure and evaluate flexible working and learn from trials using quantitative and qualitative measures
Sound easy? I know it’s not, that’s why I’ve highlighted point 7 above. Getting support to review your organisation’s context, culture as well as leadership capability is key. I can help with all of those things and I’d be delighted to help facilitate improved flexible working opportunities – to enable your organisation and the wellbeing of your employees, to thrive! Do get in touch if you’d like to discuss further.
Ruth George
HR Consultant
ruth@ruthgeorge.com; 07899 920075
This is not legal advice and is provided for general information only. © Ruth George HR Consulting.