WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Line managers need will and skill to effectively implement flexible working
Line managers’ attitudes are key to effective flexible working. Managers must bring policies to life if organisations are to reap the benefits. That's the main conclusion to emerge from a new guide published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Challenges of implementation
The CIPD guide highlights four key aspects of implementation which organisations may find challenging:
1. Management attitudes and skills
Managers need to have the "will" as well as the "skill" to manage flexible working effectively, the CIPD says. The guide points to three core competencies which come under the spotlight when introducing flexible working:
2. Monitoring and evaluation
The CIPD found that only a quarter of organisations formally monitored the take-up of flexible working and a fifth evaluated the effectiveness of one or more of their flexible working practices in the previous year.
3. Organisational culture
Key aspects to enable flexible working to become "business as usual" in an organisation's culture were:
4. Communicating and engaging
Organisations need to improve awareness of flexible working arrangements, the CIPD says.
Case studies
Research for the guide involved a series of case-study interviews with a range of organisations from the public and private sectors:
A final word
"The real challenge for employers is how to implement and operate flexible working in practice, in order to create the positive culture and secure the improved performance they desire. The guide suggests that the role of the manager goes beyond their understanding of policy and process. It is their mindset and attitudes as well as their ability to handle the management issues associated with a more flexible workforce that is crucial." -- Rebecca Clake, CIPD organisation and resourcing adviser and author of the guide.
Want to know more?
Title: Flexible Working: The implementation challenge, by Rebecca Clake, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Availability: The 58-page guide can be downloaded, free of charge, in PDF format at www.cipd.co.uk/guides
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has over 124,500 members and is the "leading professional institute for those involved in the management and development of people". To find out more visit www.cipd.co.uk
Posted 10 October 2005