Pointers for flexible working (From The Northern Echo)

Pointers for flexible working

9:21am Tuesday 25th November 2008 in

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Flexible working is an issue often talked about in companies. David Gibson, head of employment at law firm Crutes, advises small businesses on how to tackle the issue.

PRESSURES on employees at home, as well as in their workplace, are increasing and, as a result, businesses of all sizes are rapidly recognising the benefits of flexible working to both their staff and their businesses. However, as we will see, it is vital that small businesses look carefully at their own requirements, and that of their employees, before adopting such policies.

So what exactly is flexible working?

Flexible working involves changing either the location of your employee’s work, or the pattern or length of work. There are a number of options, including for example, part-time or shift work, job sharing, working from home or flexi-time.

In a recent CBI employment trends survey, 93 per cent of employers surveyed offered at least one form of flexible working, and 57 per cent offered at least three.

It has long been acknowledged that the benefits of a work-life balance ethos are plentiful. For example, by giving employees more control over their working day, by perhaps allowing them to pick their own hours and thus allowing responsibilities at home to be attended to.

Giving employees this support in their work life encourages motivation and morale within the workforce and, in turn, an increase in profitability. Small businesses will notice a fall in the numbers of stressed employees and reduced absenteeism. The benefits of flexible working to working mothers are clear, as it helps to accommodate their childcare needs. About 30 per cent of women surveyed by the Office for National Statistics used a flexible working pattern as compared to around 20 per cent of men.

Flexible working can also result in commute times and travel costs being reduced, by altering working hours of some staff to avoid the rush hour and through shift based and mobile working. A further benefit of allowing staff to work either side of core hours is that the business can remain open for longer, for example, 8am to 8pm, increasing the accessibility of your business to customers outside of traditional nine to five.

Teleworkers – the need to keep in touch

Another option to consider is allowing employees to work from home full time.

The CBI reported that almost half of all employers surveyed said they now offered teleworking to staff, which is a dramatic increase from 14 per cent two years ago and 11 per cent in 2004.

While businesses may be encouraging home and remote working, with its obvious benefits for employer and employee, implementing this type of flexible working may not be without its challenges – it must be managed carefully so that the workers do not feel like outsiders.

This can be addressed by maintaining open lines of communication with managers by phone or email and ensuring workers have regular face to face contact with their colleagues.

Such contact can also coincide with them attending, for example, training sessions.

Maintaining open lines of communication should not be too difficult in small businesses however, as there will not be too many employees for managers to supervise.

At the same time, a reporting system is key as it enables employers to keep an eye on the effect this manner of working is having on the business. Internet access and video conferencing will also help. One possibility is to hold regular staff meetings, say once a month, to which all employees must attend. Again, it is important for the managers of remote workers to have an open door policy.

The current work-life balance policies should be considered.

Are they appropriate for the business? Whether employees need to be based in the office to meet deadlines/respond to clients etc could be considered and what kind of technology would be required to enable staff to work from home.

Practicalities of implementation

Many smaller businesses may not always have an HR department to implement flexible working, and this may be daunting to an owner-manager. However, it need not be complicated to introduce, as specialist advisors could be employed to advise firms interested in introducing these measures. Employers should also look at the relevant legislation and be aware which of their employees have the right to request flexible working (parents of children under six and disabled children under 18 can request flexible working patterns). Employees’ contracts may have to be amended if their working hours and place of work are to change. In general, regular reviews should be undertaken and employees consulted if introducing such measures.

Formal policies are not as important in smaller businesses as they will be in larger firms.

Flexible working does not always suit every business. It has to work for the business as well as the employees, and the needs of the customer or client must always come first. However, with no need for an HR department or formal policies in small businesses, implementing flexible working can be relatively straight forward and at no great cost.