Get Ready: From 30th June 2014, the Children’s and Families Act extends the right to request flexible working to all employees regardless of whether they have dependants as long as they have 26 weeks service.
With Gen Y joining the workforce and the need to retain the skills of the baby boomer generation, flexible working is going to be a preferred option for many employees.
Get Set: This requires more thought than just ensuring a consistent and coherent policy or continued organisational productivity so that flexible working is embedded within an organisation.
Go: Is your culture biased towards an ‘idealised, full time and visible employee’ if so, how do you intend to address that?
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How will the organisation or team operate in a flexible environment? Do you have autonomous roles? Importantly, do managers have the skills to manage flexible or remote, non-visible individuals or teams?
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Does the design of your reward policies inhibit or disadvantage flexible working and have you looked at, Salary progression, Variable pay design, Benefits design and eligibility?
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Are your performance management measures (and their impact upon reward) appropriate? Do your talent management, succession planning and career progression systems and decision making disadvantage flexible workers?
Goal!: A standalone policy on flexible working will not be a differentiator between companies. Culture is key as it determines how far the policies penetrate in to an organisation. Many forward thinking organisations are embracing flexible working, making it part of their overall total reward framework. Enabling them to attract and retain a broader range of employees by customising their reward offerings to meet differing needs.
The positive benefits of flexible working for employees are well known in the areas of engagement (job satisfaction and organisation commitment), recruitment, retention and wellbeing. Recent research from Cranfield University School of Management shows that employees, managers and colleagues all see a positive impact on quantity and quality of work due to flexible working practices.
Measuring the relationship between flexible working and performance within your organisation enables you to see which flexible working practices work for your business.
Champion flexible working in your organisation as part of a winning employee proposition.
