Flexible Working: Shifting the Employee Landscape – Danbro

Here at Danbro, we believe that flexibility is good for business.

Flexible working is a concept that embodies our company’s values of trust, respect, integrity and, most importantly, family. Furthermore, in today’s society, there’s an increasing amount of pressure on your time. But, if your job has flexibility, you have the capacity and control to get more done.

A YouGov survey recently found that just 6% of people in the UK are now working the ‘traditional’ 9-5 hours, with almost half working flexibly. The study also found that over 60% of those surveyed referenced ‘flexibility to work hours and patterns that suit them’ as necessary criteria for what constitutes a ‘good job’.

Global leaders such as Vodafone, Unilever and Thomson Reuters are regularly cited for their flexible, modern approach to the hours their employees’ are working.

DID YOU KNOW …  If you’re a UK employee and have worked for your employer for over 26 weeks, you’re entitled to make a request for flexible working.

The benefits of workforce flexibility are ample. For example, improvements in work-life balance tend to have a positive impact on health and wellbeing. As well as looking after the interests of the individual, it can also affect personal productivity.

Speaking to The Guardian, Tom Neil, guidance writer at ACAS, highlighted the connection between flexible working and employee efficiency: “Research from the CIPD has shown that implementing flexible working practices can improve staff engagement and motivation,” he said.

‘Clock-on’ to Flexible Working

Unsure if flexible working hours are right for your business? Helen Broughton MBE, Managing Director here at Danbro, explains below why flexible working is what’s working for us.

“Younger generations entering the workplace today expect flexibility and, as a result, 9-to-5 feels a little old fashioned.”

“The future may be more about measuring and paying for productivity, making the hours you work somewhat immaterial. At the end of the day, it’s all about getting the job done.”

“Employers will do well to ensure that increasing amounts of flexibility are built into the roles they employ, so as not to miss out on attracting the best pool of new talent. Peter Cheese, Chief Executive of HR industry body the CIPD, told the BBC that organisations willing to offer flexible working would ‘attract a higher number of applicants’.”

“That said, accommodating flexible working is not without its challenges. What if too many people want to take Fridays off for instance, or start earlier and finish earlier? – how do you decide who you’re going to disappoint?”

“Flexible working requirements may become something employers recruit for. Or perhaps it will develop into one of the main criteria for people looking for work. Either way, employers will need to get the balance right. This is to ensure the needs of their customers don’t come second to those of their employees.”

“Of course, it is easier to offer more flexible hours if you employ thousands of people, as it’s more likely that the required service cover will be found. When you only have a small number of employees, it can be more difficult to accommodate everyone’s requests – particularly when you work in a customer facing role.”

“So, be more flexible if you can but don’t beat yourself up if it isn’t something that will work for your business or, more importantly, your customers.”

A new era for HR and the Employee

Hence, it’s not just Danbro who are benefitting from flexible working patterns. PricewaterhouseCoopers have recently launched a scheme allowing new recruits to work the hours they want. The ‘Flexible Talent Network’ allows people to list their skills and preferred working hours during the application process. While companies such as Innocent give their employees’ autonomy on their annual holiday allowance.

So, as we progress into the age of the gig economy, could we be seeing the demise of the 9-to-5? Well, if so, pour yourself a cup of ambition as there are new ways to make a living.