Many people think of flexible working as simply being able to choose your own working hours. However, flexible working can take many forms including flexitime, homeworking, term-time working, structured time off in lieu, compressed hours, part-time working and job-sharing amongst others.

The core principle of flexible working is that everyone is subject to demands outside work, and that an individual becomes more productive where the organisation recognises those demands.  Research has shown that implementing flexible working options can have major benefits for an organisation, including:

• improved employee engagement;
• improved staff commitment;
• improved employee retention;
• improved productivity;
• lower absence rates.

When an employee can work flexibly they can manage personal situations which in turn means stress levels can be self-managed because they can work around their needs. Those needs may be very mundane, ordinary things, but it makes all the difference for an employee.

These benefits have been seen and proven through our work with a number of organisations. Of course, not all types of flexible working options are right for every organisation and much will depend on the type of work undertaken and any restrictions that may apply.

However, an organisation should not rule out all options out of hand.  Time should be spent looking at all options to ensure that any flexible working option is right for the organisation and that it can be managed effectively.

If you would like to discuss any aspect this HR article in more detail, please contact our HR consultants at info@connectivebusiness.co.uk