Employers should seek to find a flexible working balance, says the CIPD

Further to Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds’ comments on flexible working, Claire McCartney, Policy and Practice Manager for the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, said:   

“Managed effectively, flexible working can help organisations attract, engage and retain employees and can increase performance and business agility. Flexible working can also help support people into employment, for example those juggling work and caring responsibilities or managing a health condition. 

“When it comes to hybrid working, it’s down to individual businesses to decide what works best for them, as there is no one-size fits all approach. However, employers should ensure they have a clear business case for their policy which takes account of its overall impact on their culture, as well as their ability to recruit, engage and retain employees. 

“Employers should be seeking to find a balance between the needs of the business and employees. More broadly, organisations need to be thinking creatively about different forms of flexible working including options for the high proportion of employees that are in non-office roles.” 

Make Work Pay proposals to make flexible working the default

“The Government has announced that it intends to make flexible working the default from day one for all workers, except where this is not reasonably feasible. However, before this is explored further, we believe it’s important to properly evaluate whether the day one right to request flexible working, introduced in April this year, is meeting the needs of employers and employees. If the Government wishes to make further changes, it will be crucial to properly consult with employers to ensure that plans are workable.” 

Organisations mandating a return to offices 

“Organisations should carefully consider the impacts that telling staff to return to the office full-time would have on employees, the organisational culture and performance. For any organisation considering this, understanding whether this step would solve the root problems they are trying to resolve is key.”