A government and employer-led taskforce has published guidance for employers on how to promote flexible working.
The campaign by the Flexible Working Taskforce, co-chaired by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD), encourages employers to advertise all jobs as flexible, regardless of seniority level or pay grade, by using the strapline ‘Happy to talk flexible working’ within their job adverts.
Partner organisations of the taskforce, which have committed to the measure, include the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), Age UK, Carers UK, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), HM Treasury, the Timewise Foundation, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Working Families.
The taskforce is also highlighting the business benefits of flexible working, including improving productivity by increasing employee motivation, boosting job satisfaction, engagement and wellbeing and reducing sickness absence, helping with the retention of staff and creating more diverse workforces.
Kelly Tolhurst, business minister, said: "The government is committed to enhancing the quality of work, which is why we have recently set out major workplace reforms to give millions of workers, including flexible workers, new rights and protections. To build on this upgrade, we will also be considering a duty for employers to consider whether a job can be done flexibly and to make that clear when advertising a vacancy.
“We want to ensure the UK continues to lead the world in addressing the challenges of the changing world of work, and the Flexible Working Taskforce plays a valuable role in this endeavour, with a great forum through which we can make flexible working a reality for all employees.”
Peter Cheese, chief executive at the CIPD and co-chair of the Flexible Working Taskforce, added: “Providing more flexible opportunities for how, when and where people work should be part of every organisation’s strategy to attract and retain the talent and skills they need.
“Employers need to consider, and address, the barriers holding them back from adopting flexible working practices more widely, be it entrenched organisational cultures or making sure line managers are trained to support and manage flexible workers."
