Title

HUMAN RESOURCES

Are your flexible working policies fair?

Chief executives want people back in the office, but that brings challenges to the modern workforce. Director of recruitment at Osborne Thomas Natasha Hilton-Keane explains why reviewing working policies is now more important than ever.

The ongoing and raging debate regarding flexible working reached a bit of a hiatus in August with chief executives of big organisations such as Amazon, Meta and Zoom all insisting they want their employees in the office two/three days per week; some even issuing threats if their employees don't comply.

They are not alone; we know local authority chief executives, members and leadership teams – in the majority – want the same thing. And we know there is sense in this view.

Local authorities are significant employers who, due to their central office locations, contribute enormously to local economies – shops, restaurants, leisure facilities, and so on. Others argue those employees who can work flexibly versus those who can't because they are frontline workers isn't fair; those in IT and HR who work purely remotely getting a particularly negative rap here. Further views include working purely in isolation as having a negative effect on our wellbeing, and that the knock of effect is we have forgotten how to interact and engage with others.

But what do our employees want? Recently published figures by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development report that 12% of the UK's workforce (4 million people) changed their job in the last year due to lack of flexible working. And 71% of the working population cite flexible working as being very important to them – it enables them to balance their lives more easily in what is becoming a far more demanding and fast moving world. For us as executive recruiters, the first question we are asked by prospective candidates is what is the flexible working policy?

Added to all of the above is the equally ongoing and raging debate regarding productivity and whether home working enhances productivity levels or reduces them. We know what chief executives, members and leadership teams might say and we know what workforces might say.

So, what do we do with this growing divide between employers and employees in what is an already challenging period when it comes to retaining and recruiting your best talent? And is there a way to please both sides?

A positive of what we have been through over the past few years is that we had time to experiment and test the waters. In sheer, and understandable, panic we started by shutting ourselves away behind firmly bolted doors. As regulations slowly softened, and after close-on a full year, some of us found ourselves cautiously heading back into the office maybe one day per week. For some that became two days, others three days; the determination of which exactly being down to the jobs we did, and, more likely (let's be honest), our personal preference. Many have dug their heels in when it comes to set days to be present in the office, saying: ‘We are very comfortable at home thank you'.

As we begin our journey towards the end of 2023, is now a good time to be reflecting on our learnings and reviewing what works for ‘all' of us (with a nod to ‘fairness')? It is probably time for some of us – both organisations and the workforce) to take a bit of a clearer call on our flexible working practices and what they really look like.

Some organisations have adopted hybrid as the balance to being fair – for example some days in the office, others at home. It supports organisational goals, it gives employees balance, and our local economies are positively embraced.

Of course, this model needs consideration and creativity for those frontline workers who by the very nature of the work they do are frontline. What can we do to make them feel better about fairness? We can't assume that we know – so why not ask them?

Some organisations have done this and they have been surprised by some of the responses; regular social gatherings, better street lighting, more ‘time out' breaks, just examples. It's not always about the money, it's about time with each other, with family, and so on. These can easily be incorporated into working practices and they create a feeling of being listened to, understood, responded to, and considered. Any ‘unfairness' goes away and is replaced by more positive actions and outcomes.

Reviewing working policies is now more important than ever. The market is moving at an extreme rate, changes are becoming the ‘norm' and we need to play catch up quickly to ensure the best talent is retained and attracted

Natasha Hilton-Keane is director of recruitment at Osborne Thomas

This article is sponsored content for The MJ

HUMAN RESOURCES

Labour must bite the bullet on a property tax

By Ben Page | 22 July 2025

Ben Page says that for years, politicians have shied away from the challenge of council tax reform. 'But with a precipitous fall in Labour's approval ratings...

HUMAN RESOURCES

Let's start with a housing-first approach to welfare

By Mo Baines | 22 July 2025

Unlike health-related prevention strategies which take decades to materialise, the rapid expansion of decent, affordable homes creates conditions for decent ...

HUMAN RESOURCES

Economic development needs to be a central driver of reorganisation.

By Caroline Green | 22 July 2025

Reorganisation is a rare chance to realign governance with how economies actually function, says Caroline Green.

HUMAN RESOURCES

Getting audit back on track

By Rob Powell | 22 July 2025

The Government's reset and recovery strategy, along with associated backlog dates, have helped get audit onto a firmer footing, albeit with the cost of more ...

Popular articles by Natasha Hilton-Keane