By Karen Mattison, Co-Founder, Timewise
Over the past five years, the Timewise Power List has told the stories of 250 individuals who are working flexibly at a senior level. And, while we have been delighted to shine a light on these flexible successes, we have also been aware of the part played by the best flexible employers in making them possible.
Moreover, as a social enterprise, we want to do more than just highlight individual examples of good practice. Underpinning everything we do is our desire to bring about widespread, systemic change, which will help grow the flexible jobs market and unlock more roles to part-time and flexible working. For this to happen, businesses across the board will need to change their approach to both the way they hire, and the way their roles are designed.
So with this in mind, as part of the 2018 Timewise Power 50 awards, we decided to celebrate employers who are taking the lead in making flexible working the new normal. We asked for nominations in the two critical areas of flexible hiring and flexible job design. And our expert judging panel chose two fantastic trailblazers as our winners: Lloyds Banking Group and the Ministry of Defence.
At Lloyds Banking Group (LBG), flexibility isn’t just considered; it’s expected. Following the introduction of their ‘agile hiring initiative’, LBG has moved from the assumption that most jobs are full-time to the assertion that part-time and flexible work can be possible and, in some cases, can even be preferable.
Critically, hiring managers are now expected to include an option for agile working in any roles they advertise, and explain their rationale for any that don’t. As a result, around 90% of LBG vacancies are promoted as agile (against a national average of 12%) and around 43% of employees work in an agile way.
And as LBG’s Fiona Cannon explains, this isn’t just good news for the Group, or even for their employees; the benefits of having flexible hiring as the default position are wider-reaching than that. “This initiative is helping us build a fairer, more representative workforce where employees are able to thrive, which sits at the heart of our ambition to help Britain prosper.”
A similarly innovative approach is being taken by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The Regular Armed Forces are contracted to be available 365 days a year, which makes developing a part-time working policy a huge challenge. However, the MoD are keen to keep pace with the increased demand for part-time and flexible working, and so have launched a two year Flexible Duties Trial.
The trial will investigate how flexible job design could allow serving personnel to ‘dial down’ their level of commitment for a limited period, within a longer service career. Their aim is to keep hold of talented, experienced personnel and support recruitment of the next generation.
By looking at a seemingly insurmountable problem in a creative way, the MOD stand a good chance of making this traditional workplace future fit. As Group Captain Clive Montellier explains: “This trial is challenging the entrenched expectations of the workforce, and so getting the job design right is absolutely critical.”
Our winning employers are setting examples which, if others follow, could radically change the flexible jobs market.
If flexible working becomes the default hiring position across the board, more people who want or need it will be able to keep working, and progress their careers. And if all jobs are creatively designed to incorporate flexibility, in a way that suits both employers and employees, it won’t take long to become ‘just the way it’s done’.
We’re proud to be showcasing two of the best flexible employers as part of this year’s Power 50, and it’s just the start; we’re hoping to expand our focus in the years ahead. Watch this space.
To find out more about flexible hiring and flexible job design, and the training and consultancy we offer to support their development, please call 020 7633 4444 or email info@timewise.co.uk
Published March 2018
