The Business Case for Flexible Working – Part One
Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2025 9:40 am
Flexible working agreements are by no means a new concept. Researchers have been studying their positive effects on employee performance and operational efficiency since the mid 70's. Yet despite the benefits of being well-known, flexible working for many people in the UK is still a distant dream.
In June 2014, the government introduced legislation to open up the right to request flexible working for all. This has led to an increase in flexible working provision, however we still have a long way to go. Research by Microsoft morocco phone number library shows that whilst over half (53%) of small and medium business (SMB) workers are aware that it exists, uptake of the legislation has been slow. Moreover, according to the Workingmums 2015 Annual Survey, over a fifth of working mums have been forced to leave their jobs because a flexible working request was turned down. Their survey also found that 38% of those on maternity leave wouldn't return to their jobs if flexible working wasn’t granted, and 47% were unsure what they would do.
It's important to note at this point that this isn't just a female issue. More needs to be done to challenge the cultural and unconscious biases against men and flexible working. Flexible working should be offered regardless of gender and as the labour market demographic changes, so too will the demand. The millennial workforce increasingly values work/life balance and seeks a better fit between personality and workplace culture. Whilst there are real barriers preventing some companies from implementing flexible working into their organisation, going forward those that embrace it and live the culture of it, will be more likely to attract and retain the best talent.
In this two-part series I want to firstly lay the foundations of the business case for flexible working. In the second part of this series I'll look at some of the constraints that companies face when implementing flexible working into their organisation and offer some practical advice on how businesses can actually make it work for them.
In June 2014, the government introduced legislation to open up the right to request flexible working for all. This has led to an increase in flexible working provision, however we still have a long way to go. Research by Microsoft morocco phone number library shows that whilst over half (53%) of small and medium business (SMB) workers are aware that it exists, uptake of the legislation has been slow. Moreover, according to the Workingmums 2015 Annual Survey, over a fifth of working mums have been forced to leave their jobs because a flexible working request was turned down. Their survey also found that 38% of those on maternity leave wouldn't return to their jobs if flexible working wasn’t granted, and 47% were unsure what they would do.
It's important to note at this point that this isn't just a female issue. More needs to be done to challenge the cultural and unconscious biases against men and flexible working. Flexible working should be offered regardless of gender and as the labour market demographic changes, so too will the demand. The millennial workforce increasingly values work/life balance and seeks a better fit between personality and workplace culture. Whilst there are real barriers preventing some companies from implementing flexible working into their organisation, going forward those that embrace it and live the culture of it, will be more likely to attract and retain the best talent.
In this two-part series I want to firstly lay the foundations of the business case for flexible working. In the second part of this series I'll look at some of the constraints that companies face when implementing flexible working into their organisation and offer some practical advice on how businesses can actually make it work for them.