Sophie Kay HR Support

FLEXIBLE WORKING

 

The work week isn’t what it once was. Or it shouldn’t be. We have the capability to use the most skilled individuals on their terms. Some might say ‘if they want to work for my company, they should work how I want them to work’. Why? Why would a business want to exclude someone with experience or knowledge, just because they are unable to work from the office, 9-5?

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So why are businessmen and MPs scrutinising working from home and flexible working, saying that it is ‘bad for morale’ and ‘water cooler chats are needed’?

 

The younger generations seem to prefer working from home and working flexibly, and most seem to think it has no impact on learning, development and morale. Actually, most younger workers seem to think it can up their morale. In a recent study, nearly 90% of workers said that they wanted a flexible role.

 

A new law that is being passed in the UK, the Flexible Working Bill, will increase the rights for workers surrounding flexible working from April 2024. Employees will be allowed to request flexible working from day 1, and they will be able to request flexible working twice a year instead of the previous one. The employer will also now have to explain why they will be rejecting the request rather than the employee explaining what impact it will have on the business.

 

This change has been campaigned for by Anna Whitehouse, in the Flex Appeal campaign, after she was discriminated against in her job for becoming a mother. She felt as though she had to apologise for being a mother, apologise for looking after her child when they were ill, and she did not feel included and equal. (Information retrieved from her Instagram @mother_pukka and her website, motherpukka.co.uk)

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We have the technology to say ‘you take care of your children, and when everyone feels better, and you’re ready to get your mind back to work, finish your tasks then’. And we should say things like that. Why exclude people and discriminate against the people who are literally making the future of the human race?

 

Yes, there are such things as deadlines and clients that work on tight schedules, but this is where teamwork comes in. If someone is having a bad mental health day, and the options are not working, or working from home, surely the answer is working from home!

 

There is a lot to be said about flexible working. It can take many forms. Job sharing, part time working, differing hours of working, working from home, compressed hours, annualised hours, and even phased retirement.

 

So maybe, we all need to look at our businesses to see if we are simply losing the best talent just because we want to – dare I say it - micro-manage.