Flexible working

Flexible Working

What is ��Flexible Working��?

Flexible working is a term used to describe a wide range of work styles and employment practices. Broadly speaking, it includes a pattern of employment which differs from the traditional nine to five full-time job. Getting the work-life balance right is increasingly important for many colleagues who have personal responsibilities and interests outside of work, and many people are seeking increased flexibility over and above other work-related benefits. As a result, flexibility in the way that colleagues undertake work can have a real and positive impact on the performance of individuals and teams.

Types of Flexible Working

There are many different types of working flexibly including;

Reducing your FTE and working less hours;
Altering your start & finishing times;
Taking a day off in a fortnight (a 9-day fortnight);
Working from home on a fixed/structured basis;
Job-sharing;
Annualised hours

Benefits to the University

There are a number of reasons why managers should be open to considering flexibility in work patterns:

Changing workload demands across the academic year;
the need to cover a working day that is increasingly outside the traditional nine to five in line with the demands of ��customers��;
the increasing need to improve efficiency and contain costs;
the need to recruit and retain the highest quality staff by offering a flexible approach to work as a real employee benefit;
the need to promote equality of opportunity.

Who can apply?

The University is committed to offering equality of opportunity to all employees and to increasing diversity in the workforce and will give due consideration to any reasonable request for flexibility. Managers are encouraged to be open to such suggestions, but employees must appreciate the constraints that might demand a refusal or modification of the request. Specific actions to increase diversity and to support employees at work include offering flexible working opportunities which includes job-sharing, both when recruiting to a vacant post and when considering flexible working applications from employees. These Flexible Working guidelines apply to all staff, regardless of grade, or personal circumstances.

What managers need to think about

Before agreeing to a request for flexible working, the line manager will need to give consideration to many factors including;

How the flexibility of one colleague will impact on other members of the team. You may need to speak to colleagues. You should let the employee know you are going to discuss it with others before you do so;
Consideration of how long the flexible working can be supported �� will it be temporary or can long-term proposal be supported?
Whether a trial period of the arrangement for a number of months might be a good idea.
If the request is for a reduction in hours/days what will happen to the work that was done in that time? Will it need to be split between other colleagues?
How will you measure the success of the request? How will you monitor it?

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