REWARD
Flexible working to accelerate in 2020
Michelle Hobson, HR services and technology director, Moorepay, explains why flexible working holds appeal for most employees
T he Queen’s speech (http://bit. the year ahead and featured proposals for a new Employment Bill that aims to boost the uptake of flexible working. The Bill would make flexible working the default position for all employees, “unless employers have good reason not to”. This comes after Conservative member of parliament Helen Whatley introduced a flexible working Bill in July arguing that the change would help to close the gender pay gap, assist parents to share childcare responsibilities and help businesses to attract and retain staff (https://bbc. in/38WPtxk). While the Bill is open to consultation, it’s pointing the way for employment policy under this government and is in lock-step with wider opinion and employee expectations, even demands, on the issue. There is a widespread realisation that people are struggling to balance their work and personal commitments, and increasingly more employees are rejecting the traditional nine-to-five working day. The Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices states that encouraging flexible work is good for everyone and has been shown to have a positive impact on productivity, employee retention and quality of work. It also demonstrates the increasing importance of flexibility, referencing a rise in recent years of the proportion of employees saying that flexible working was important to them when they decided to take their current job. This is echoed by research Moorepay recently commissioned on employee engagement. The study – The engaged employer (http://bit.ly/2Xiwf0z) – found that, after financial compensation, it is flexibility that holds most appeal for employees. Half of the most attractive ly/2u8VJmT) on 19 December set out the government’s priorities for
benefits for workers of small- to medium- size enterprises (SMEs) are those that offer some form of flexibility or improvement to work-life balance, whether that’s flexible working, remote working, a four-day working week, performance-based leave, or holiday buy, sell and trade schemes. ‘Flexible or remote working’ is viewed as the third most important benefit overall, and is cited by one in four SME employees. Yet despite this clear appetite from employees and policy direction from commentators and government, just one- in-seven job adverts offer flexible working (http://bit.ly/31bArkM). ...after financial compensation, it is flexibility that holds most appeal for employees Stephen Bevan, head of HR Research Development at the Institute for Employment Studies, provided commentary on the report, and recognised the importance of employers embracing “the need for flexibility and the benefits that help employees navigate the tricky boundaries between work and home or help them invest in personal development”. When we think of flexible working, working from home and working part-time most likely spring to mind. However, flexible working arrangements
payroll (and how payroll can enable their implementation). If all employees are working the same number of hours each week, it’s straightforward to spot payroll errors. However, when employees are working non-standard hours it can quickly become more complex. In addition, it can be very time-consuming manually collecting, calculating and processing the number of hours employees have worked when there are lots of variations. Payroll and time and attendance software can help businesses to improve payroll calculation accuracy and save valuable time. It’s clear that payroll teams need to be prepared for these complexities and work closely with HR and business leaders to enable the right mix of flexible working options that suit the needs of employees and the business. In a job market where companies are fighting tooth and nail for top talent, businesses have their work cut out, and they can’t afford to be complacent about disaffection in the ranks. Employees, particularly those in younger generations, are increasingly aware of the importance of work-life balance, so if employers want to ensure they can attract, retain and develop their people, they must make sure they have the tools and processes in place to successfully manage an inevitable increase in flexible working. Rather than seeing the demand for and trend towards flexible working as a problem, I would urge companies to embrace the opportunities it brings. As numerous studies have shown, allowing employees to work flexibly can improve productivity and motivation, boost recruitment and help to retain your talent. n
take many forms and can include compressed hours, flexi-time, job
sharing and term-time only contracts. While flexible working requests do sit with human resources (HR), it’s also important to think about how they affect
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | March 2020 | Issue 58 38
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