FLEXIBLE WORKING
New guidance on flexible working launched
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched new flexible working guidance aimed at improving employee productivity, lowering business costs and meeting the needs of families.
It includes a step-by-step process for managers of small and large companies to implement effective flexible working practices and features examples from leading companies that have implemented flexible working policies, including BT, Sainsbury’s, National Grid and IBM.
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According to the EHRC, among the benefits are:
Higher staff retention and lower recruitment and training costs
Reduced absenteeism, overtime and workplace stress
More efficient use of office space
Enhanced reputation as an employer
Access to new talent pools
Better succession planning
Less commuting for employees by working from home or satellite offices.
Case study
BT has implemented flexible working policies across its workforce including a work from home initiative that has:
Reduced absenteeism by 20%
Reduced travel times by a collective 1,800 years
Reduced office costs by £500 million
Increased productivity with home workers up to 30% more productive than office colleagues
Improved service quality with home-based call centre operators providing comparable or better quality responses than office colleagues.
--> The Commission has also launched flexible working guidance specifically for small businesses.
A final word
“Flexibility is a tool many British businesses use to attract and retain quality staff. Flexible working makes good business sense not only in maximising productivity but by providing a powerful tool to respond to customer needs. Many companies are using flexibility creatively to respond to recession, enabling them to cut costs while retaining skilled staff. This avoids the expense of hiring and training new staff when the economy recovers. As we look towards an economic recovery, having the best talent in place and the ability to respond to customer needs will be crucial to the speed at which a company recovers.” - Trevor Phillips, chair of Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Want to know more?
Title: Working Better: A managers’ guide to flexible working, The Equality and Human Rights Commission, October 2009.
Availability: To download the report, free of charge, visit the EHRC web site.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is a statutory body established under the Equality Act 2006, which took over the responsibilities of Commission for Racial Equality, Disability Rights Commission and Equal Opportunities Commission. To find out more visit www.equalityhumanrights.com.