Employer relations minister Ed Davey has announced an extension to the right to request flexible working, which will allow 288,000 more parents to have their requests to work flexible hours formally considered by their employer.
Davey has also revealed that the government is preparing a
consultation on a universal right for all employees to request flexible
working, saying: “We want to make sure the law better supports real
families jugging work and family life, and the businesses that employ
them.”
But what do small businesses think? We asked Matthew Jones (MJ), founder of Open Study College what he feels about staff having flexible working hours.
Q: How many people do you employ? Do any of them work flexibly?
MJ: “We employ 20 people and currently allow many of them to work
flexibly if they wish to. It boosts staff moral and leads to a more
relaxed working environment. Some of our staff commute a reasonable
distance to work so we also allow people to work from home during bad
weather; it’s safer for everyone and ultimately means they aren’t
spending unnecessary hours travelling.”
Q: How is increasing the right to request flexible working likely to affect you?
MJ: “We run a small office so absent staff always have an effect on
us. We do have to be aware of presence for time-sensitive roles, but
providing our customers don’t suffer and the work gets done on time we
look auspiciously at requests for flexible working from staff with or
without children. Increasing the age limit will have a minimal effect on
our business.”
Q: Is flexible working for all employees a good idea?
MJ: “Flexible working can be a very positive concept providing it is
fair, managed and controlled. It leads to a better working environment
and more motivated staff. It also makes us appear forward-thinking to
our customers and suppliers. It can sometimes be a pain when trying to
book meetings and ensuring staff are available, but this is a small
trade-off when you consider the benefits. It can help greatly with
day-to-day activities such as booking doctors’ appointments and takes
the stress out of having to wait for an after-work slot.”
Q: How clear has the government been that this is a right to request, not a right to have?
MJ: “The government has been clear that flexible working is not
compulsory, but whether this will filter down accurately I can’t say.
But we are clear with our staff regarding what is available to them and
it seems to work well.”
Q: Will having this right help to create a “fairer, family-friendly society” as Ed Davey claims?
MJ: “I believe that there’s an inherent problem with childcare and
how society deals with it in the UK. While laws and guidelines have been
put in place to support parents, it would seem that “childcare” by its
very nature has not changed much for a long time, in terms of the hours
in which children can be looked after. I would also like the government
to help on the other side of the coin, too, with the children
themselves, as I don’t believe an employer should be completely
responsible for the entire burden of childcare.
“Unfortunately, with today’s strain on purse-strings many families
find it hard not having a two-parent income when bringing up children,
so we try and do what we can for our staff. It certainly won’t affect
our staff here because they already receive these benefits.”
Not all business owners and managers are in favour of giving the
right to request flexible working, however. Charlotte Williams of
recruitment and HR company Novalign told us:
“The new law could have a negative impact on some small businesses
who may feel pressured to accommodate requests for flexible
working. This could result in additional and possibly unaffordable
costs, inability to compensate for employees with flexible working hours
and a detrimental impact on the business’ performance including failure
to respond to customer demand.”
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