hbadmin

Four in Five UK Employers Deem Flexible Working Crucial for Attracting and Keeping Talent, Survey Shows

DocuSign recently carried out a survey of decision-makers in business about how flexibility in business is crucial. The results showed that eight-two percent of employers felt that giving their employees flexibility in how they worked and where they worked meant that the business could be more successful, often because it meant it could attract the best talent. The same survey suggests that three-quarters of business owners feel that flexibility makes them more competitive and four in five felt it was essential for the future of the business. 

Despite this, not all business owners are embracing flexibility, even though government legislation is now in place that allows employees to ask for flexibility from their first day of employment. There are many reasons for this, including not understanding what flexibility means, and fearing that it will cause a downturn in productivity. Read on to find out how you can be more flexible with your employees as the fact is, it will help you. 

Ask Employees What They Want 

Perhaps the most important thing of all when it comes to flexibility in the workplace is to ask your team what it is they want. Every employee is going to be different, so assuming they all want to work from home because flexible working during the pandemic was necessary is a bad idea. Equally, assuming everyone wants to come to an office every day just because one team member does is just as bad. 

Some will want to be one hundred percent remote, others will want to be in the office all the time, and others will prefer hybrid working. To ensure everyone gets what they want, you need to have a good system in place for collaboration, and you need to have a space for people to go should they need it. 

Discuss The Options During The Interview 

If you want to attract – and keep – the best talent, you’ll need to ensure everything is spelled out during the interview process. This is the chance for someone to get to know your business just as much as it is your chance to learn more about whether or not they would make an ideal employee

Speak to them directly about flexible working to ascertain what it is they would want if they were to work from you. Not only will you know what to put in place should you hire them, but they will know you are taking these accommodations seriously. This will make them consider your offer even if they have received a number of others. Of course, the important thing to remember is that if you offer something at an interview you can’t then not give it to the employee, so make sure you have the infrastructure in place before agreeing to anything. 

Implement Job Sharing 

Job sharing can be an ideal way to help people work in a more flexible way, especially if you are unable to offer remote working due to the fact that employees have to be on site for any number of reasons. 

A job share isn’t going to suit everyone, but for those for whom it will work, it could be the ideal way to attract the talent you want and to ensure your team is satisfied.