×
First-time login tip: If you're a REBA Member, you'll need to reset your password the first time you login.
26 Feb 2021
by Claire McCartney

Engage, include, retain: the flexible working success formula

When the Coronavirus pandemic hit, many businesses around the world were plunged into the biggest enforced home working experiment we have ever seen. As the months have gone on, we’ve seen many talking about this period as a ‘flexible working revolution’.

95A7-1614328393_CIPDMAIN.jpg

But what of those employees who haven’t been working from home? A CIPD survey of more than 2,000 employees found 44% of staff haven’t worked from home at all since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, and the majority say this is because the nature of their job doesn’t allow them to.

While some employees have found remote working to be beneficial for them, this is only one part of the picture. Around a fifth (19%) of employees say they work for organisations that do not offer any flexible working arrangements. To achieve a true flexible working revolution, employers must look beyond remote working to the many other forms of flexible working they can offer, such as flexi-time, part-time working, compressed hours and job shares. These arrangements can work well for all, including those in roles that aren’t office-based and where organisations can’t practically adopt working from home for its staff.

As part of our mission to champion better work and working lives, the CIPD is calling for the right to request flexible working to be a day-one right for all employees. Encouragingly, our research found half of employers (50%) say they will be more likely to grant requests for flexible working, besides working from home, once the pandemic restrictions have been relaxed. Therefore, an enhanced right to request flexible working from day one of employment could boost the number of people using flexible working arrangements.

Here’s why employers should embrace flexible working from day one:

Improving engagement and performance

The CIPD’s research found those who have flexibility report significantly higher levels of satisfaction with their job, their work-life balance and control over their work. Therefore, it stands to reason that employees experiencing these benefits are much more likely to be engaged at work and committed to their role, leading to improvements in their performance and outputs.

With the current law requiring 26 weeks of employment before flexible working arrangements can be requested, some employees may struggle through with an arrangement that isn’t a good fit for their personal situation until they can make a request. This could mean they are less productive and more stressed, unable to have much control over their work-life balance. If flexible working arrangements can be agreed from day one, this could have great benefits for engagement and productivity. It also highlights to employees that their organisation is committed to working arrangements that improve their wellbeing, which in turn will improve their employer brand.

Fairness and inclusion

It’s no secret that having an inclusive and diverse workforce is good for business. It brings different perspectives, different ways of thinking and a wide range of skills to help employees grow and challenge ways of working, ultimately leading to better outcomes for businesses.

In order to foster an inclusive and diverse workforce, employers must consider how they can utilise flexible working to attract talent who may be best suited for the job, but unable to commit to a role which expects them to be in the workplace 9-5, five days a week or other similar rigid structures. By looking beyond ‘traditional’ working arrangements and opening up positions for those who would consider applying for part-time hours or a job share, for example, businesses will attract diverse candidates from the get-go.

Retention and recruitment

When employees feel more empowered by having mutually beneficial working arrangements that enhance both their own and business performance, they may be more likely to stay in their role longer. By kicking the flexible working conversation down the road rather than addressing it at day one, it may be difficult to retain a staff member who is then refused a flexible working arrangement after 26 weeks of employment. This could lead to an employee leaving, costing a business not only financially to recruit a new member of staff but also valuable skills and knowledge that may have built up during this time.

When recruiting, organisations should consider adding the line ‘Happy to talk flexible working’ to all job adverts, so potential candidates know this is possible from the outset. Doing so will allow organisations to recruit from a more diverse range of candidates, and ultimately could lead to a stronger talent pool to draw from.

The author is Claire McCartney, senior policy adviser, resourcing and inclusion at the CIPD.

This article is provided by the CIPD.