Although the highest number of employees on record are currently working flexibly or say that they would prefer to, only a small proportion of jobs are advertised as being flexible. According to the Timewise Foundation, just over 20 per cent of jobs with a salary of up to £20K and just over ten per cent of jobs earning over £20K are advertised as possibly flexible. Offering flexibility is advantageous not only to employees, but also to companies that might otherwise miss out on sections of the workforce.
Why is flexibility important?
Up to 87 per cent of employees already work flexibly or have expressed a wish to do so. It has become apparent through demographic trends that there will be an increase in the number of people who have caring responsibilities or needs and want to work. In addition, there may be restrictions on migrant workers due to Brexit that mean companies will need to recruit from a wider pool of potential employees. Offering real flexibility will help employers to find the skilled workers they need and also benefit employees and make the workplace more inclusive.
Many companies benefit from employing HR outsourcing services. Certain groups in the labour market are currently under-represented, and flexible working arrangements can help to improve employment and progression opportunities for them.
If you are anxious to improve your company’s performance by increasing employee engagement and retention, enabling them to enjoy a better work-life balance is crucial. Your company could also benefit from improving productivity and being able to deliver a more flexible service to your customers. For further information, check out sites like https://www.mushroombiz.co.uk/homepage/services/hr/.
How to improve flexibility
The obstacles to improving flexibility include a lack of understanding by line managers and rigid adherence to traditional working cultures. According to the government’s website, employers have a legal obligation to handle requests for flexible working reasonably.
There are various options for flexible working, the most common of which include flexi-time, working from home, job sharing, working reduced hours and working compressed hours. Currently, 42 per cent of workers can choose their start and finish times and 40 per cent can work from home during normal working hours. Thirty-four per cent of workers have the opportunity to work fewer hours, and 25 per cent can work the same number of hours weekly, but over fewer days.
