December 8, 2021
December 6, 2021
Hybrid working success relies on three key factors
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News
Organisations must focus on equipping people managers, who are the stewards of sustainable performance, with the right skillsets to ensure they and their teams succeed in the hybrid working world, according to Gartner, Inc. To achieve this, Gartner recommends organisations pursue three tactics to ensure managers are prepared to lead their teams in this setting. More →
December 2, 2021
Majority of employers agree flexible working requests should be a day-one right
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives
The majority (57 percent) of employers agree that the right to request flexible working should be a day-one right, claims research from the CIPD. Agreement is highest from those in the public sector (69 percent) compared to those in the private sector (54 percent). In addition, larger organisations of 250+ employees were more likely to agree than SMEs (62 percent compared to 51 percent). More →
December 2, 2021
Seven in ten HR managers support greater flexible working in their workplace
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Workplace
Seven in 10 (70 percent) of UK HR managers now say flexible working could work for their business – claims a new TUC poll. Half (49 percent) of UK HR managers polled said that greater flexible working could work for their business as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, building on the one in five (21 percent) who say that their business already enabled significant flexible working before the pandemic. More →
December 1, 2021
There are thirty-eight ways to win an argument, but this ain’t one
by Mark Eltringham • Comment, Flexible working
There are 38 ways to win an argument. That is according to the 19th Century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer who laid them out in an essay called The Art of Being Right. We’ve probably added a few more since it was published in 1896, but whatever we’ve come up with since probably works on the same basis. Despite the essay’s title, the stratagems are not actually about being right at all, but about winning an argument. More →
November 30, 2021
Pandemic-driven shifts have made the workforce smaller, younger and more female
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives
The pandemic has not led to mass unemployment as many feared, but has instead driven wider shifts that have increased employment among younger women, but pushed many men and older workers out of the labour market altogether, according to new research. More →
November 26, 2021
Flexible working currently contributes £37bn to the UK economy
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives
New research, ‘Flexonomics: The economic and fiscal logic of flexible working’, highlights the economic benefits of flexible working to the UK economy. Flexonomics builds on our long-standing support of the Flex Appeal campaign by Anna Whitehouse, aka Mother Pukka, and follows the publication of our “Forever Flex: Making flexible working work beyond a crisis” report, published last year. More →
November 25, 2021
Work becoming more secure but more action needed to enforce employment rights
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives
A new report ‘Has work become less secure?’ from the CIPD claims that, overall, employment in the UK has actually become more secure on most measures over the last decade – despite the impact of the pandemic. Compared with 2010, there are proportionally fewer people today working variable hours, working part-time involuntarily, or wanting to work more hours. More →
November 24, 2021
Portfolio careers, side-gigs and flexible working are priorities for the UK’s next generation of workers
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Working lives
A flexible work culture is a key consideration for the majority of young workers when choosing a job, with over half (53 percent) of 18-34-year-olds claiming that talented young people won’t join companies that are inflexible about the way their people choose to work. More →
November 24, 2021
Majority of UK workers would choose an employer based on health and wellbeing support
by Jayne Smith • Flexible working, News, Wellbeing
A survey of hybrid-office and home-based UK workers gives insight for employers into some of today’s biggest needs for office workers to carry out their roles. 73 percent of UK workers believe that the provision of ergonomic work conditions, as well as support for their health, will play a bigger role when choosing a company to work for. More →
December 3, 2021
Menopause may amount to a disability under law in some cases
by Kathryn Clapp • Comment, Flexible working, Wellbeing