Wright, Smith and Wibberley (2021) 4 Flexibility Understand Flexibility Consider needs of employees and the organisation to achieve secure, sustainable and productive work which enables flexibility (such as hours, place and ways of working). The Context Long hours, damaging work patterns and an uneven impact on carers are all known impacts of working at home. Staff are the greatest asset of organisations and growth will be high on the agenda when the pandemic is over. Inclusive practices and a diverse workforce can lead to higher turnover and better performance so involve workers in decision making. Gender % Reporting diagram 55 Female, 24 Male, 21 Not reported. Practical Solutions • Have regular conversations about boundaries between contactable and non-contactable hours. • Provide a way to have open discussions about home/work boundary issues. • Put individual needs at the heart of return to the workplace discussions. • Talk to employees about needs and situation of the business. • Demonstrate a clear plan that is sustainable for employees and employers in the short, medium and long-term. • Don’t assume the needs of employees/employers are the same or static. • When considering workplace restructuring think of alternative options such as job-sharing or part-time work rather than redundancies. • Talk through different options of remote working (working from home, offsite, co-working spaces etc) and hybrid working and what is expected by you, the business and the employees. • Undertake regular reviews of flexible arrangements to ensure they are fit for purpose for all.
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