Flexible working, working patterns and the changing environment - Guest Article by Sandra Peers
2020 has been a unique canvas which has changed the way both an organization and the employee adapt to the changing environment around us.
What was at one point a straightforward, going to work and doing a certain working pattern, is now more complex. COVID -19 has altered the way we work, where we work and how many hours we work.
Adaptability, and coping with change are key attributes employees have needed to demonstrate throughout this period.
There were articles prior to this pandemic that highlighted that to some employees flexible working was more important to them than extra holidays or pay, and that a significant number of employees may wish to work from home or work flexibly in 2020. Over the last few months some employees have had the opportunity to experience flexible working more so than if this pandemic had not happened.
Flexible working can be beneficial to a workforce, and employees have a statutory right to request flexible working hours after they have completed 26 weeks service.
We don’t completely know yet how things will develop but what has come from this is that employees in some cases have had an opportunity to work from home more, they have worked to different working patterns and different hours.
To some this has been a positive experience as under other circumstances they would have needed to apply for such through a more formal flexible working procedure.
To others working more flexibly may mean they do not have as much direct contact with team members and other employees so it is not for everyone.
There has been a shift in the way we work, maybe for the better I hope from this situation as employees and businesses we can pull out the positives we have learned, that staff can be adaptable, they can maximise time by working from home rather than commuting, they can have more of a work life balance by still being effective at work. Businesses can have more motivated staff. Going forward businesses may be able to have a formal and more informal way of looking at flexibility in the workplace or a mix of both. It may not be possible to offer as much flexibility as currently long-term as now, but I think businesses have seen how their people have got engaged and strived to make working practices successful. Maybe before 2020 such practices would have been looked at differently to employees, and in some cases there may have been more resistance to flexible working within organisations.
Sandra Peers is a Chartered Fellow of CIPD with over 20 years’ experience in the industry. She manages SR Human Resources, a bespoke HR Consultancy specialising in SME’s and business startups across sectors –
07535465470.