Workers have lengthy been craving for extra flexibility within the office. For a lot of, it’s such a excessive precedence that the shortage of flexibility has grow to be a deal-breaker.
However issues would possibly begin to look completely different now.
In elements of the U.Ok., new measures that took impact final weekend enable workers to decide on flexibility at work from day one.
Workers in England, Scotland and Wales now have the appropriate to request versatile work from the day they begin a brand new job, as an alternative of ready 26 weeks as per earlier laws.
Versatile work covers a variety of office preparations—whether or not that’s part-time, distant or compressed work—and will differ from worker to worker.
The brand new regulation isn’t a considerable change from what was already in place, however it’ll assist normalize conversations round versatile working and make it extra simple for workers to ask for it proper off the bat. The aim of those measures, once they had been first accredited final 12 months, is to create a “happier workforce” which may assist Britain enhance productiveness, enterprise and commerce minister Kevin Hollinrake mentioned.
Whereas flexibility has more and more grow to be a need within the office, it’s not with out challenges.
Why do individuals within the U.Ok. care about working flexibly?
The onset of the pandemic compelled individuals to regulate to distant work, however breaking out of it has been more durable even with return-to-office mandates. Now, individuals are preventing to maintain some semblance of flexibility.
Within the U.Ok., that’s translated into larger turnover as 2 million individuals stop their jobs yearly over the shortage of flexibility, in response to a report by the skilled physique Chartered Institute of Personnel and Growth (CIPD). Flexibility-related perks are what over 50% of the individuals on the lookout for a brand new job are searching for.
Amy Cunningham, founding father of employment regulation agency Cunningham Authorized, informed Fortune that workers worth flexibility due to the productiveness advantages it affords. However there’s extra to it than that.
“The place correctly managed, the advantages to employers are vital. These embody elevated productiveness/efficiency, diminished illness absence and stress, larger worker morale, elevated worker retention, and diminished prices in some circumstances,” she mentioned.
Given the clarion name amongst workers for flexibility, the potential advantages of the regulation could possibly be large as roughly 2.2 million individuals may now have the choice to request an association that works greatest for them. In the long run, that would translate to larger productiveness within the office—one thing the U.Ok. desperately wants.
On the flip-side, restricted versatile working choices are sometimes extra punitive for some elements of the labor power than others, together with ladies, older staff and people with disabilities. Nonetheless, the brand new regulation may show helpful by permitting individuals to work in a manner that most accurately fits them with out impacting productiveness or output.
“There’s good proof that versatile working practices may also help recruit and retain employees, notably these with caring tasks, older staff, and people with well being circumstances,” Ben Willmott, the top of public coverage at CIPD, informed Fortune.
Regardless of the advantages, employers are apprehensive
Specialists informed Fortune that the regulation may doubtlessly be imposed on employers with out essentially serving to them.
“Clearly, versatile working requests create an administrative burden for employers,” Alex Bearman, accomplice at London-based regulation agency Russell-Cooke, who makes a speciality of employment regulation, informed Fortune. He gave the instance of logistical challenges if a number of crew members select to restrict their work hours. In additional excessive circumstances, employers could possibly be slapped with discrimination complaints for refusing workers who’re new moms or have long-term well being circumstances from working remotely.
Research have proven that there are downsides to distant work (which is one type of versatile working) resembling proximity bias and disconnect with the crew throughout onboarding, which employers are conscious of.
“Covid has already shifted the parameters of what ‘regular’ working into extra remote-based and hybrid spheres, however isn’t all the time for the higher (for both employers or workers) and, as has grow to be obvious, there are substantial downsides to each some of these working,” mentioned Andrea London, a accomplice at Winckworth Sherwood.
The brand new measures are a device for workers, however it gained’t strip employers of their say on the office both.
Whereas they’ll have to reply to workers’ requests inside two months (and never three, like earlier than), they’re additionally entitled to refuse the request for plenty of causes together with a adverse impression on the standard of labor or efficiency. Employers additionally want to debate with workers earlier than they refuse a request.
Because the age-old adage goes, it actually is all about steadiness. The advantages of flexibility can’t be ignored, which is why the appropriate to request it’s now at each worker’s disposal. It may definitely assist the broader British workforce, too.
“Though it appears unlikely {that a} standalone proper to work flexibly will likely be launched any time quickly, the federal government does seem to view larger flexibility in how we work as one thing which is more likely to profit the financial system as a complete,” Bearman says.
Cunningham thinks that the brand new regulation isn’t a large stride in the direction of adjusting to workers’ wants, however is “a small step in what many would take into account to be ‘the appropriate route.’”
“The hope is that such preparations will grow to be way more frequent, and that workers gained’t be afraid to ask about versatile working alternatives at a really early stage within the employment relationship,” she mentioned.
