Once considered as a generous perk, flexible working now needs to be seen as a business necessity rather than a gift to the few who have a “viable” reason to request it.

If you wish to increase your staff retention rates and improve your brand to attract top talent flexible working should not be a perk but implemented into your company culture.

The demand for companies to offer flexible working has grown considerably. More and more businesses are calling for extended working hours to fit customer requirements and as a counter balance staff are calling for flexibility as they juggle their work/life balance.

In days gone by flexible working was normally reserved for employee’s who needed to fit in school runs, or split their time caring for a family member. Now, employees do not need a specific reason to be given the chance to work flexibly.  With the advances in technology and communications it’s possible for anyone to work remotely or outside of core office hours.

When you say flexible working you automatically think it to mean that by working extra hours staff can leave earlier one day. There is no set definition, you can define what flexible working means for your business, have you considered the following:

  • Remotely – can your staff work from any location at any time?
  • Variety – do they have to work the standard 9 to 5? If they have a long commute to work, or if getting in at 9 means that their journey is complicated by public transport could they change their hours?
  • Adaptation – are your staff given the opportunity to step away from the office if the unexpected happens and pick up in a different location?

It all seems one sided, that you are giving too much to employees, but making these changes benefits the employer just as much. By putting your trust in your employees and giving them the flexibility they will in turn be loyal to you, they will work harder and won’t be tempted away to a competitor.

Here at King Recruit all of the Team we practice what we preach.

 

Everyone works one day from home during the week.

Laura commutes an hour each way from North Devon juggling 2 toddlers, Rebecca works around her son and a very needy dog and Helen also has 2 children in school.

After a day working from home all of us return to work refreshed and energised.

We work flexibly in the office too, lunchtimes are flexible to accommodate early or late gym sessions. We very much operate on a give and take culture.

One of our clients have in place core business hours, as long as staff are in the office between 10:00 – 16:00 they can choose when they start and finish, some of their team will start at 08:00 and finish at 16:00 or start at 10:00 and finish at 18:00.

Helen recently read “When” by Daniel H Pink. Within this he states that “All times of day are not created equal” andknowing your chronotype, Pink says, is the secret to becoming a high performer. Based on the findings of chronobiology, the study of our natural daily physiological rhythms, Pink says we all abide by a “hidden pattern of daily life” that affects our moods and, thus, our performance at work. In a single day we go through three stages, Pink explains. This is what it looks like for most people however other people experience their day in the reverse set of stages: recovery, trough and peak.

Peak: our mood rises in the morning
Trough: our mood declines in the early to mid-afternoon
Recovery: our mood boosts back up in the early evening

The order in which you experience these stages depends on your chronotype, or your personal pattern of circadian rhythms, which determines if you’re a “lark” (morning person), an “owl” (evening person), or a “third bird” (somewhere in the middle).

According to Pink, our standard working hours of 09:00 – 17:00 are designed to benefit the 80 percent of people who are larks or third birds. Owls, on the other hand, don’t work as well in the typical 9-to-5 workday. To see the full article click here: https://cnb.cx/2MszPDQ

So if you have an office full of Lark’s having your staff start early is highly beneficial to them and to your business!

If you’re looking for a change in career, or want any further advice about flexible working or any other recruitment matter contact the King Recruit Team on 01392 790725 for a confidential discussion.