Number of employees using flexible working stayed static since 2010

The number of people that are using flexible working arrangements has remained fairly static since 2010, despite the right to request flexibility being extended to all employees since 2014, findings published in a recent report by the CIPD can reveal.

The Megatrends: Flexible Working report is released in conjunction with The Flexible Working Task Force, a partnership across government departments, business groups, trade unions and charities, and will encourage employers to advertise jobs as flexible by using the strapline Happy to Talk Flexible Working in their job advertisements, regardless of level or pay grade.

The report suggests there has been a rise in more informal flexible working, such as more people working from home on an ad hoc basis, but according to the CIPD far more flexibility could be implemented.

Opportunities are being missed because of unsupportive manager attitudes, limited available options and the negative assumptions of some employees about flexible working, for example that their job may be at risk if they seek to change their working patterns.

As part of its efforts to increase uptake, the task force is highlighting the business benefits of flexible working which include:

• Addressing skill and labour shortages by making work more accessible to older people and those with caring responsibilities, for example
• Improving productivity by increasing employee motivation
• Boosting job satisfaction, engagement and well-being, while also helping to reduce sickness absence
• Helping organisations to retain staff, particularly those with caring responsibilities
• Creating more diverse workforces which reduces the gender pay gap by giving more opportunities for women to progress into senior roles.

Tensor Time and Attendance System offers extensive options for the management of flexible working hours

Tensor plc supplies an extensive range of workforce management solutions that cater for all the requirements of the modern workplace, including flexible working.

The system can supply working rules for a variety of purposes, from simple determination of overtime by the number of daily hours worked, to the more complex payment of overtime hours adjusted when periodic targets are not met. The system also contains special rules to accommodate the formal flexitime contracts worked by many public sector employees. Workers paid on an annual contract basis can receive reports stating how many contracted hours they have yet to work.

Additionally, our top-range WinTA suite features an On-line Self Service module that allows staff to clock IN or OUT, check hours, request leave + other functions via internet, mobile or other communications.

Furthermore, with the Telephone Clocking module, staff can call in from remote locations to clock IN or OUT or review their flexitime balance or remaining holiday entitlement. After entry of their pass code, an automated, spoken menu guides employees to the option they require. If you’d like to find out more about the range of workforce management and Time and Attendance solutions supplied by Tensor and just how we can help your company implement thorough and reliable flexible working arrangements, just contact us or Book a Demo.