This past Monday over 200,000 brits worked flexibly to usher in the start of the school summer holidays. It seems that since the option of flexible working was extended to all workers back in 2014 more and more people (and more employers) are making the most of the opportunity to work more flexibly.
Despite this, a recent survey has shown that almost 50% of employers are hesitant to offer flexible working in their company, despite upwards of 60% of employees have stated that having the option of the flexible working would make their job role more enticing.
This begs the question; what concerns would an employer have that would prevent them from offering flexible working?
A lack of trust or visibility – some employers worry that employees working outside of regular hours or the office environment could well be slacking or less productive without structure or supervision.
A breakdown in communication – whilst flexible working gives employees the option to work different hours, it can worry the employer who may fear that there could be a breakdown in communication within the company due to the different hours employees operate. As a result, efficiency could also be lost with the slowdown of communication.
Having a flexible working policy can help to alleviate these concerns, ensuring that standards for communication and a good reporting structure are put in place to ensure effective collaboration and transparency within your organisation despite employees operating on different shift patterns.
Although employers may have concerns, flexible working offers a number of benefits for employers and employees that can boost morale and productivity within the company. Allowing employees to schedule their work around family commitments and choose their hours, is reported to see more focused and engaged work during those periods, having a positive effect on employees output and the quality of the work and services delivered. As an employer this also allows you to boost retention, to keep a hold of employees who may have moved to find more favourable hours or working patterns. This will also translate into your recruitment process, offering flexible working may give you a larger pool of candidates when recruiting.
If you would like any guidance on producing or implementing a flexible working policy within your organisation don’t hesitate to get in touch with HPC today. Give us a call on 0151 556 1928 or email us on help@highperformanceconsultancy.com
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