How flexible is your business to flexible working?

A recent study found that while the majority of Employers in the UK say that they offer a flexible working option for their workforce, the number who actually do is somewhat lower. The question is why is there a disconnect between the two?

One reason is because of competition. The last few years in particular have been characterised by continued economic growth, which in turn has seen competition between businesses operating in the same sector intensify. This has led to a misunderstanding of what having a flexible workforce actually means for a business.

For some Employers, the notion of a flexible workforce might put their organisation at a competitive disadvantage caused by a perceived lack of control over the work that needs to be undertaken to ensure optimum productivity levels. Others may feel there is a risk of a communication breakdown if they cannot get hold of staff during traditional working hours, which may negatively impact on how smoothly projects can be completed.

However, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, when researching our latest Guide, we found that not only do the number of benefits to be gained by having a flexible option match the number of (wrongly) perceived risks of doing so, they significantly outweigh them.

But having a flexible working strategy goes beyond simply allowing staff to exercise different working patterns, it is the way in which the overall team structure of the organisation itself is organised. The Guide to Flexible Recruiting Ideas for Start-ups and Small Businesses, which is free to download from our dedicated Advice for Employers section, looks at this in more detail.

Specifically, the Guide discusses how having a mix of ‘type’ of workers can – and invariably does – result in what is really meant by a flexible recruiting strategy – one that enables the business to react and respond to peaks and troughs in demand in a way that ensures it remains profitable, competitive and ultra-productive.

The Guide to Flexible Recruiting Ideas for Start-ups and Small Businesses is free to download, read and share. You don’t need to enter any details - simply click the following link: FREE DOWNLOAD

Check out our other Guides too:

The Cost of a Bad Hire (and How to Mitigate it)
Managing Millennials in the Workplace
Creating a Smarter Hiring Strategy
6 Essential Steps for a Successful Recruiting Process