Flexible working: the law and best practice

Introducing a flexible working policy can benefit your business as well as your employees.

Flexible working: business benefits

Many employers believe that promoting flexible working makes good business sense and brings the following improvements:

• Greater cost-effectiveness and efficiency, such as savings on overheads when employees work from home or less downtime for machinery when 24-hour shifts are worked.
• The chance to have extended operating hours.
• Ability to attract a higher level of skills because the business is able to attract and retain a skilled and more diverse workforce. Also, recruitment costs are reduced.
• More job satisfaction and better staff morale.
• Reduced levels of sickness absence.
• Greater continuity as staff, who might otherwise have left, are offered hours they can manage. Many employers find that a better work-life balance has a positive impact on staff retention, and on employee relations, motivation, and commitment. High rates of retention mean that you keep experienced staff who can often offer a better overall service.
• Increased customer satisfaction and loyalty as a result of the above.
• Improved competitiveness, such as being able to react to changing market conditions more effectively.

Flexible working: benefits for employees

The main benefit of working flexibly for your employees is that it gives them the chance to fit other commitments and activities around work and make better use of their free time.

Flexible working can help you as an employer promote a healthy work-life balance for your staff.