A summary of our Change Agent programme, commissioned by the Scottish Government to improve access to fair flexible work.
In 2020, we were commissioned by the Scottish Government to help improve access to fair flexible working for parents and carers, as part of their Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan. Having carried out a feasibility study, we concluded that we need to take a systemic approach, equipping intermediaries who were already working with job seekers and employers, so they were able to advise on flexible working.
The result was Fair Flexible Work for Scotland, a two-year programme through which we created a network of Change Agents from 70 intermediary organisations. We trained them up to offer the right support, as well as connecting them to a range of wider experts on flexible working, including the Scotland-based Flexibility Works.
This report sets out how we carried out this work, and shares the positive outcomes from the programme. It’s fair to say that it was a resounding success; highlights include 80% of participants saying they have a better understanding of how to influence employers to enable a fairer, more successful approach to hybrid working, and 76% strongly agreeing that “I am motivated to take action to ensure fairer access to flexible work by more people.” We will continue to monitor the impact of the support that the Change Agents are providing, and are currently exploring the potential of replicating this model elsewhere in the UK.
Published September 2022
