Employer Engagement in FE: A research project from Runshaw College
AuthorJen DeakinCategoriesTeaching, Leadership
The benefits of flexible working
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Date29th Mar 2021AuthorAnna PaschaliCategoriesLeadership
The world of work has changed and is changing. Even before the global pandemic of 2020, there was a quiet revolution taking hold of the way we work. Advances in technology, changes in how we run our lives, the evolution of family dynamics and an ever-increasing desire to achieve the holy grail of the ‘work-life balance’ had seen a steady rise in the desire for flexible working. Whether it comes in the form of part-time working, compressed hours, job sharing, flexitime, a sabbatical or a permanent arrangement to work from home, there are benefits to both the employer and employee in shifting away from the traditional 9 to 5.
- Productivity
Allowing employees the opportunity to have control over their workload through flexibility can result in greater productivity. For employees, the ability to work around other commitments and knowing that they are trusted to manage their own time can reap rewards for employers. A recent survey report by the charity Working Families found that 25 out of 26 employers noted that productivity stayed the same or increased during the first UK lockdown.
- Less stress
Trying to manage a busy workload within a rigid timeframe and balancing this with personal commitments can be incredibly stressful and anxiety-inducing. The pressure cooker effect this can create should not be underestimated. In its most recent Labour Force Survey, the Health and Safety Executive found that in the Education sector, there were 2,170 cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety per 100,000 workers averaged across 2017-18 and 2019-20. This figure compares with 1,570 cases per 100,000 workers across all industries. Having flexibility and alternative working options can reduce that pressure. Even a simple step such as taking a stressful daily commute out of the equation can have a huge positive impact.
- Improved sickness absence records
Leading on from the above, it is to be expected that reducing work-related stress, depression and anxiety will have a positive effect on an employee’s sickness absence record. A study carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in 2018 revealed that mental ill health is the biggest cause of long-term sickness in the UK. Being able to flexibly balance commitments, such as family or caring responsibilities, with work can reduce the implicit weight of obligation. In turn, employers will benefit as a result of improved employee presence and a more balanced workload across all departments, enabling employees to focus on their own duties without the burden of having to cover or find cover for sick employees.
- Better work-life balance
Even within the last generation, family dynamics have changed enormously, and it is important for employers to recognise the need for accompanying change in the workplace. The advent of remote working means that employees have the option to work at a time that suits them and that works around our other commitments, whether that is caring responsibilities, studying, health reasons or something else entirely. There is no longer a need to be shackled to the 9 to 5; having the flexibility to make decisions based on individual needs is freeing and liberating.
- A happier and more engaged workforce
Flexible employees are happy employees. In turn, happy employees are more productive employees with a greater sense of motivation and wellbeing. Knowing that there is flexibility elicits a sense of control and autonomy; employees are more likely to feel proud of where they work and enjoy going to work. The result for employers is higher-performing, more committed and more engaged employees.
- Greater recruitment and retention
Employers are potentially missing out on attracting high quality candidates by not being transparent about their openness to flexible working. The Timewise Flexible Jobs Index 2020 revealed that 87% of respondents wanted to work flexibly, but only 22% of jobs in their survey were advertised as open to flexible working. A recent trial by the Behavioural Insights Team found that by being transparent in job adverts about openness to flexible working, employers increased their pool of applicants by 30%.
Similarly, an employer that embraces the benefits that flexible working offers is likely to have greater staff retention. Employees that feel trusted and in control of their work, and are able to successfully balance their workload with their personal commitments, are likely to be happier, more loyal and more contented employees, and therefore less likely to seek a new job.
- The employer ‘brand’
In an ever-evolving and increasingly competitive working world, employers will want to be seen to be at the forefront and to be leading the way. To attract the best, you have to be the best; demonstrating that you are willing and open to flexible working, and being synonymous with progressive thinking, can only have a positive impact on your image. Recruitment is a two-way process; employers are just as much on the spot and being assessed as the applicants they invite to interview. Much like their interviewees, they need to sell themselves, and the best way to do this is to make the workplace a great place to work and one in which employees feel happy, valued and balanced.
While some forms of flexibility, such as flexitime or later starts, may be difficult to achieve for some roles in a sixth form setting (most obviously for teachers), the fact that the potential benefits are so significant means that it is always worth considering whether a given role could be made more flexible. Even teachers who need to be in at specific times can benefit from paid sabbaticals or job-shares. Instead of treating flexible working as the exception where the staff member requests it, colleges can treat it as the default, with 9 to 5 the exception where the job demands it. The evidence suggests you will benefit if you do!
Anna is HR and Employment Law specialist at SFCA, which hosts Blog 6.