Flexible and Hybrid working - The New Normal? By Lizzy Turek

Flexible and Hybrid working - The New Normal?

 As we move away from some of the main Covid-19 restrictions on work and travel, it still seems unlikely that we will be returning to “Business As Usual”. There has already been a huge shift in the way work is organised and the experience of many employers has shown that there is more scope for flexible working in jobs than was previously thought. The number of people working from home and also working flexibly has significantly increased and has demonstrated real benefits for both employers and employees in unlocking productivity and increasing staff morale and motivation. There is clearly an appetite for continuing and improving flexible working as we move forward.

What is Flexible working?

Flexible working is a way of working that suits an employee’s needs, ranging from where, when, and for how long an employee works. All employees have the legal right to request flexible working and the arrangement can be formal (part of the contract) or informal (agreement between employee and their manager), occasional, temporary or permanent. Employees must have worked for the same employer for at least 26 weeks to be eligible. Further information and guidance on Flexible working can be found here: Flexible working - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Flexible working arrangements might include:

• Working from home or remotely for part or all of the time.
• Reduced hours or part-time work.
• Allowing a pattern of working hours that fits with personal requirements.
• Compressed hours – working the same number of hours but over fewer days
• Flexitime - allows employees to start and finish at different times as long as they work agreed core times.
• Staggered hours – allows employees to start and finish days at different times.
• Annualised hours - working time is organised around the number of hours to be worked over a year rather than over a week.
• Term time work to avoid the need for work during school holidays.
• Job sharing – where two (or more) part time employees share the work and pay of a single full time job.

What is Hybrid working?

Hybrid working is a type of flexible working where an employee splits their time between being workplace/office based and remote working (either from home or another hub). Some of the benefits to hybrid working have led to  a better work-life balance including more leisure time (from not having to commute as much). 

Impact of the pandemic on working practices

The Office for National Statistics (Business and individual attitudes towards the future of homeworking, UK - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)) analysed the impact of the pandemic on working practices which revealed the following:

• The proportion of working adults who did any work from home in 2020 increased to 37% on average from 27% in 2019 with workers living in London the most likely to homework.
• Online job adverts including terms related to "homeworking" have increased at a faster rate than total adverts, with homeworking adverts in May 2021 three times above their February 2020 average.
• Of working adults currently homeworking, 85% wanted to use a "hybrid" approach of both home and office working in future. However, there was some uncertainty among businesses, with 32% stating they were not sure what proportion of the workforce will be working from their usual place of work.

Research indicates that flexible working including hybrid arrangements, can improve equality at work by creating more opportunities for a diverse workforce and reducing the gender pay gap as well as support sustainability initiatives. Flexible working provides an opportunity to attract and retain talented individuals in a market place where there are skills shortages as well as increase productivity and support wellbeing (CIPD during-COVID-19-and-beyond.pdf).

To meet the increase in demand for more flexibility, employers may want to change the way they structure jobs and conditions of employment to make themselves more attractive to a wider range of candidates in a jobs market, where flexible working may become the norm, rather than the exception. The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) have produced simple guides to support organisations and individuals adapting to the world of flexible and hybrid working. These can be accessed via cipd.co.uk/coronavirus.

Top Tips

Manage expectations

Be clear and agree with employees how many days they will be expected to be in the office/home. Also being clear on which tasks are best completed in the office and which tasks are better performed at home will help to manage time and workload and make best use of time and resources.

Build connections

Make it easy for employees to connect with one another and reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness. Regular one to ones (via video call or in person), virtual coffee catch ups, weekly team meetings (mix of office based and remote workers) and dedicated team office days can help. And on the social side, consider arranging team lunches/days out.

Check In

Whether you work in the office, are an entirely remote organisation or have a hybrid working arrangement, always make time to check in with staff on how they are doing.

Upskill

• Guidance for line managers

Managing via a screen compared to face to face is a different ball game. Providing management with guidance, training and support for managing remotely. Furthermore, offering additional training to line managers around mental health and wellbeing can help with staff wellbeing. Mind have an eLearning course for line managers that can be completed from anywhere.

• Guidance for remote workers

Providing guidance, training and advice on maintaining an effective work-life balance. CIPD have produced simple guides to provide reminders and top tips Getting the most from remote working | Guides | CIPD.

Where businesses are looking to recruit to new or existing positions, Thewlis Graham Associates are able to offer advice and guidance about how to structure roles and working hours to enable you to recruit the best available candidates. We have a flexible approach for attracting, assessing and selecting candidates to ensure that we reach out and find the best people at the times and locations that suit them.

Lizzy Turek

Client Research Associate