Recent research conducted by the British Chambers of Commerce outlines a significant number of unfilled vacancies. There is an untapped market of individuals who are currently seeking part-time hours, flexible working arrangements, remote opportunities and different approaches to work.
Many businesses are yet to adopt flexible working practices, often not knowing where to start and not fully realising the benefits, potentially missing out on a talented and diverse pool of candidates worsening the skills shortage.
What is Flexible Working?
Flexible working is a term covering any working arrangements that meet the needs of both employee and the employer with regards to working arrangements of when, where and how an employee works. Some examples may include, but are not limited to:
- Part-time working
- Homeworking
- Hybrid working
- Term-time working
- Flexible hours scheme
The government have published a comprehensive guide to flexible working here.
Benefits to your workforce
In a tight labour market, flexible working can help address skill and labour shortages by enabling organisations to create a more diverse workforce and optimise productivity. Offering flexible work arrangements encourages businesses to attract and retain a broader range of employees, through helping employees balance work and other commitments including parents, carers, and those with disabilities or health conditions preventing full-time work.
Flexible working can enhance workplace productivity and job quality by fostering employee motivation, innovation, well-being, and overall business agility. This approach is crucial for attracting and retaining diverse talent and adapting workplaces to the needs of the modern economy.
Changes to legislation – what this means for your business:
As of April 2024, all employees now have the legal right to request flexible working arrangements from their first day in a job. There is now more onus on employers to set out how flexible working will work, consider requests and deal with the requests in a suitable manner. Changes to legislation mean that:
- Employees can make a request for flexible working on their first day at work (previously they had to wait at least 26 weeks)
- Employers must respond to a request for flexible working within two months
- Employees no longer need to explain how their request will impact their employer or how they might deal with that
- Employers must discuss a flexible working request with the employee before rejecting it
- Employers must offer an appeal process
- Employees can make a request to work flexibly twice every year
For further guidance on legislation, please see the Gov.uk website.
How to Get Started
When implementing a policy on flexible working, it is vital to follow legal requirements and regulations. The ACAS code of practice on managing flexible working requests has guidance on ensuring that your policy is fair, transparent and compliant. Consider all approaches when implementing flexible working to have a process that is equal and fair for all employees. When creating a flexible working policy, it is important to consider the following:
- Assess Feasibility and Needs
- Evaluate if flexible working aligns with your business operations and goals.
- Understand employee needs through surveys or discussions to gauge interest and preferences.
- Define Flexible Working Options
- Identify types of flexibility to offer, such as remote work, flexitime, compressed workweeks, or job sharing.
- Decide if flexibility will be offered universally or tailored by department/job role. Consider fairness across the whole organisation as some jobs may prevent homeworking harbouring resentment.
- Establish Clear Policies and Guidelines
- Create a flexible working policy outlining who is eligible, how to request flexible working, and the approval and appeal processes.
- Set expectations for availability, communication, and performance standards.
- Invest in Technology and Infrastructure
- Ensure employees have necessary tools (e.g., laptops, secure VPN) to work remotely.
- Implement collaboration tools such as virtual meeting software to facilitate communication and teamwork.
- Train Managers and Employees
- Provide specific support to managers, help managers learn from other cases of flexible working and support with transitioning roles to flexible.
- Offer learning to help adapt aspects of management for flexible workers such as setting goals and maintaining communication with their team.
- Educate employees on how to manage their time effectively and stay productive in flexible arrangements.
- Ensure Compliance and Security
- Comply with legal requirements regarding flexible working arrangements.
- Implement data security measures to protect sensitive information when employees work remotely.
- Review and Adapt
- Regularly review the flexible working policy and practices.
- Adapt policies based on feedback, changing business needs, or technological advancements.
The Chamber are running a series of seminars featuring industry experts, showcasing real case studies and their expertise on implementing flexible working practices to help you get started on your journey towards flexible working.
For more information, view and book our events here.
Policy andAdvice Information