Wessex Institute (WI) came to us in 2019 with an ambitious aim of taking their well-established flexible working practice to the next level.
The organisation had carried out an internal survey in late 2018 to explore the appetite for and barriers to flexible working. 83% of respondents stated they already worked flexibly on a regular basis, with 43% describing themselves as part-time. And although over half of respondents said they worked off-site on a regular basis, 80% wanted to do so more often in future.
However, the survey also revealed that the main barrier to flexible working was management and culture. And it also became clear that a lack of IT expertise among staff was preventing some from off-site working.
Experience has shown that getting managers on board with flexible working is a critical factor in its success. Furthermore, flexible cultures don’t happen by accident; they require strategic thought and careful planning.
So we proposed a structure that allowed the team at WI to think about the issues more holistically, and then created a process for bringing managers up to speed.
We began with an action planning session, in which we worked with WI leaders to assess their strengths and weaknesses in five areas and identify their aims in terms of flexible working practice and culture.
We used the insights from this to create and facilitate a series of masterclasses for managers. These focused on upskilling managers in how to assess flexible working options and respond to requests, and how to manage flexible teams confidently.
64% of all line managers attended the flexible working masterclasses and 53% attended follow-up sessions. Those line managers who did not attend were provided with the masterclass materials and access to members of our team.
We carried out a mini survey for managers before, immediately after and six weeks after the masterclasses, to evaluate their impact. Six months later a survey was carried out with all staff to assess the overall impact of the programme.
In addition to the masterclasses:
By Karen Mattison, Co-Founder, Timewise
As flexible working becomes more widespread, most forward-looking leaders are on board with the big-ticket issues, like the value of flexible hiring or the need to create roles with flexibility built in. But less well-known, perhaps, is the impact that smaller, personal actions can have.
I was reminded of one of these recently, when a 2017 article about leaving loudly popped up on the Timewise Instagram feed. The article focused on Robbert Rietbrook, then CEO of PepsiCo Australia and New Zealand, and his belief that bosses should model the behaviour they want to see. Or, as he puts it, “If you are younger or more junior, you need to be able to see your leaders go home, to be comfortable to leave”. Based on my experience, and the conversations I’ve had, he’s spot on.
When a company’s leaders are focused on time spent at a desk rather than work done or objectives achieved, it leads to an unhealthy workplace culture. One in which people leave jackets on chairs to give the impression they’re working late. In which working parents feel they have to sneak out down the back stairs at 5pm (despite having started early to compensate). It can even cause people to struggle in when they’re unwell, which can affect their long term mental and physical health.
In contrast, if you’re a leader who chooses to leave loudly, you’ll send a clear message about your views on work-life balance:
It may seem like a tiny shift; but the impact is anything but. Leaving loudly helps create a positive working environment in which your staff are trusted and supported to work in the way that suits them best, with a sustainable work-life balance.
From a straight business-case perspective, this will have a positive effect on issues such as retention, productivity and absenteeism. From a human one, it will ensure you’re creating a culture in which your team know that they are valued and are able to thrive.
And it’s not just about hometime; there are other small changes that can help set the right tone. For example, making it clear on your signature that you don’t expect an instant response to out-of-hours emails will reinforce the fact that you value your employees’ free time.
So yes, let’s tackle the big stuff, like being proactive about offering part-time or flexible working arrangements and championing those who do so. Let’s make sure we create properly flexible roles that allow people to balance their work and home lives successfully. But let’s also leave loudly, and show by example that balancing work and life really is OK.
Published December 2019
There’s an increasing amount of data around flexible working, including our revelations that only 1 in 4 job ads offer it despite nearly 9 in 10 employees wanting it. But something we haven’t known is whether employees generally have to request flexible working, or are proactively offered it.
So we worked with CMI, and polled 879 managers, and here’s what we’ve learned. Only 1 in 5 line managers have ever offered flexible working at an annual review or performance review, ever. Even worse, only 1 in 20 have proactively suggested it at least once at the point of promotion.
Does this matter? Well, yes. And not just for employees either.
Historically, there has been a stigma attached to working flexibly, and particularly part-time, as something that is only really valid for women with children. And while attitudes are changing, the ‘request-response’ model is slowing progress down. It creates a sense that flexible working is something that requires specific circumstances, rather than being open to all.
If it were proactively offered to everyone, flexible working would become more widespread and, critically, more gender-neutral. It would be more acceptable to work flexibly for non-childcare reasons, increasing take-up by non-parents, and opening up more flexible career pathways. Over time, this would help employers achieve a healthier, happier, more productive and more inclusive workforce.
If you think this is something you could improve, the solution is relatively straightforward. You need to build a proactive strategy which encourages your line managers to discuss flexible preferences at key career development points. For example, your framework for annual appraisals or performance reviews could include a requirement for managers to ask team members if they are happy with their working pattern, and make it clear that they are willing to discuss flexible alternatives.
But of course, strategy isn’t enough. As Niamh Mulholland, the CMI’s Director of External Affairs says: “We know that there is often a gap between flexible working policy and practice. The key to closing that gap is really good line management – which means ensuring line managers are properly equipped to help staff work flexibly, and empowered to champion flexible working and call out bad practice.”
So you’ll also need to offer training for your line managers to help make sure they’re implementing your strategy in the right way. This would involve teaching them how to discuss flexible working and upskilling them in job design, so that any arrangements that are agreed work for the business as well as the individual.
And yes, this will require an initial investment of time and training budgets. But as we’ve shown, the impact of flexible working on headline issues such as employee well-being and the gender pay gap will ensure that it is worthwhile. If you need any support, we’re here to help.
Published December 2019
Flexible working strategy, for most organisations, still relies on a ‘request-response’ model. That is: an employee makes a request to work part-time or flexibly, and the line manager or HR department responds to that.
It’s a model that Timewise would like to see replaced with a systemic proactive approach. The request-response model is to blame for much of the stigma around flexible working (especially part-time arrangements). This is because it pigeon-holes flexibility as something that’s considered only in special circumstances, predominantly associated with women and childcare.
A proactive approach from managers, by contrast, would make flexibility a gender-neutral matter. It would benefit large numbers of employees (87% want to work flexibly). It would open up flexible career pathways for those already working flexibly. And it would create fairer workplaces, as flexible working is associated with increased diversity and inclusion.
In this research of just under 900 line managers, Timewise with the CMI set out to understand the extent to which proactive approaches are currently being made by line managers.
1 in 5 surveyed managers (21%) had ever proactively offered flexible working at annual review or PDR. A similar proportion (1 in 5, or 19%) had ever offered it when recruiting. And only 1 in 20 (5%) had offered it at the point of promotion.
Timewise considers these to be low proportions, given that the wording of the questions was “Have you ever proactively offered….” To answer positively, a manager may have offered flexible working to only one of their current direct reports, since the introduction of flexible working policies. Additionally, CMI members are more likely than most managers to follow good practice around flexible working; by their nature they take a relatively formal, professional approach to management.
Timewise would like to see significant improvement in proactive discussion of flexible working at these key times. They are moments when career opportunity is under discussion, and when an open approach would be more inclusive of people who need to work flexibly.
By Poornima Kirloskar-Saini, Operations Director
It’s easy to see why hot-desking is a brilliant concept. It allows companies to provide less workstations, and so cut their building and maintenance costs. It encourages managers to be relaxed about their employees working elsewhere, creating an environment built on trust. And, potentially at least, it gives employees the option to work from or closer to home, with all the work-life balance and well-being benefits that brings.
Yet, according to a recent survey, office workers are becoming increasingly unhappy about hot-desking. Out of the 1,000 who were interviewed, half believed that hot-desking made them less productive, compared to a third in a similar survey two years ago. And 60% said that a dedicated desk remained their preferred option.
So is the hot-desking era over? We hope not. Our view, based on our own experience as well as our insights into workplace culture, is that it’s not the principle of hot-desking that’s the problem; it’s how it’s applied. And when it’s done well, it works for everyone.
The problem arises when hot-desking is seen as a way to save money, without giving thought to how it affects employees. Just slashing the number of desks, dishing out laptops and expecting employees to fight it out among themselves, isn’t the answer. It’s the equivalent of squeezing a full-time job into four days and calling it part-time.
Instead, hot-desking needs to be seen within the concept of flexible working as a whole. And as with any operational workplace change, it’s more likely to succeed if it’s thought through, consulted on and carefully implemented. How do I know? Because here at Timewise, we walk the walk. We have a fully flexible workspace, underpinned by the right technology, which works for all our employees, not just our FD.
Here are our five key principles for making hot-desking work for all.
Before we started the move to hot-desking, we took the time to find out what our people actually wanted. How bothered were they about being able to personalise their space? How did they feel about working from home? How flexible could they be about when and where they work? How often did they feel they would need to be in the office? What technology would they need to support remote working?
Here at Timewise, most of us work part-time in some way, which is helpful in terms of hot-desking. But we decided early on that we could only make it work if people were allocated fixed in-office days as a starting point. We could then set about building in the flexibility for people to change their days as and when needed. So that’s what we did.
Initially, one of our team was responsible for holding and sharing a weekly update about who was in or out of the office, and so which desks might be available. Needless to say, it was a total headache.
But when we came to look for an off-the-shelf software solution, we realised there wasn’t anything available that matched our needs. Most of the packages we came across only offered desk booking capability, and we needed a more bespoke solution.
So we designed our own app, which gives all members of our team individual control but also requires collective responsibility. It really works, and has made Julie’s life a lot easier. Do get in touch if you’d like to know more.
One thing that has been central to the smooth working of our new system is the IT we have put in place. Every member of our team has secure remote access to all our systems, so working remotely isn’t a second best option or a cause of frustration. On the contrary, our team love the way it supports their well-being and work-life balance, and allows them to focus on specific tasks.
Before we made the move to hot-desking, we shared some key principles with the team which we felt were needed to make it work. For example, everyone was expected to wash their cups at the end of the day, and to store their belongings and documents in drawers. We also agreed to outlaw eating at our desks.
So far, people have pretty much stuck to these principles, so everyone comes in to a clean, clear desk. An unexpected bonus is that we are now much more likely to be found eating together in the communal kitchen, which has been great for our team dynamic.
However, none of the above will be any good if your roles aren’t deliverable on a remote working basis. So before you even start investigating your options for hot-desking, take the time to look at the roles themselves.
If you need any help designing properly flexible roles, or you’d like to know more about our desk management app, please get in touch. As our experience shows, making hot-desking work is well worth it.
Published July 2019
By Emma Stewart, Co-Founder
There’s a prevailing view that all publicity is good publicity. But in the case of the recent Fiat / Elle collaboration, I’m not sure that’s true.
The latest spot in their joint content series, called ‘A modern woman’s guide to…’ features Elle’s digital editor on a video call in her car, telling colleagues she’s at a pitch. She then takes off her smart coat to reveal a football kit, and steps out of the car to join the game.
Now, I’m sure the creative team behind the film saw it as a tongue-in-cheek, lighthearted bit of fun, with a celebration of women’s football thrown in. But as the subsequent backlash highlighted, it’s based on an out-of-date attitude towards flexible working that isn’t great for the organisations’ brand reputation.
The fact is, in 2019, people shouldn’t have to lie about working flexibly. The law is on their side; all employees have had the right to request flexible working arrangements since 2014. And with flexible working frequently cited as a solution to workplace issues such as the gender pay gap and employee well-being, the zeitgeist is going their way too.
What’s more, as this year’s Power 50 winners showed, there are a growing number of examples of people who are openly, and proudly, working flexibly for a huge range of reasons. None of them need to pretend to be working when they’re pursuing their family commitments or side hustles. They just get on and deliver.
But by implying that flexible workers are skivers, the film took us back to a time when, for example, managers worried that letting people work from home would mean they spent the day watching TV or doing the washing. And in doing so, it alienated the very people it was trying to appeal to.
Any flexible working strategy worth the laptop it’s written on will include training leaders and line managers to manage flexible employees. And it seems that the importance of having a flexible culture, led from the top and taken seriously by HR and middle management, is increasingly understood.
But, while it’s clearly helpful for flexible workers to have their managers onside, that doesn’t guarantee a supportive atmosphere. Some of our recent projects have highlighted that it can be full-time colleagues, rather than bosses, who are having a negative impact.
We’ve heard stories of team members grumbling about having to take notes at a meeting that a part-timer couldn’t attend. We’ve been told of regular, snippy comments such as “Doing a half day again?” to a colleague with early start and finish times. We’re also aware of ‘Friday envy’ from full-time colleagues towards part-timers, even though the day or days off are unpaid.
And while this can be a real downer for the individual, it can also have a serious impact on the flexible culture that these organisations are trying to create. As our research into exclusion in the workplace showed, feeling isolated from the team can affect a flexible employee’s performance and progression. It can even have an impact on an organisation’s gender pay gap.
In the 12 years that Timewise has been focusing on the flexible jobs market, we have heard anecdotal evidence of a key barrier facing part-time employees: a sense of not being fully part of the team.
This research survey set out to quantify the problem. It found that many part-time workers do indeed say they miss out on key meetings, on professional development events and training, and on networking opportunities.
Among the part-time workers who responded to our survey:
If part-time workers are missing out in these ways, they are unlikely to progress as well as their full-time colleagues. Not only is this a waste of their potential, it could also have a negative impact on their organisation’s gender pay gap. By failing to take part-time workers’ schedules into account when planning important meetings and events, employers are making it harder for these employees to deliver their role to the highest standards, and creating operational inefficiencies.
Employers who really want to benefit from the skills and talents of their part-time workers, need to start thinking differently about the best way to support them.
In simple terms, employers need to think differently. They need to challenge the assumption that, just because something has always been done in a certain way – such as entertaining clients after work, or having team meetings on the same day and time each week – that’s the only way to do it.
By thinking creatively and innovatively about how things are done, employers can deliver a workplace culture and working week that is as inclusive of part-time workers as their full-time colleagues – and benefit from the results.
Specific suggestions, made by the part-time workers in our survey include:
Published September 2018
By Karen Mattison MBE, Co-Founder
Here at Timewise, we are known for our robust research into the headline issues around part-time and flexible working. Our findings around who wants to flex, and the impact of doing so on pay and progression, are widely quoted and are helping to drive mindset and culture change all over the UK.
So when we heard anecdotal evidence that part-time employees feel they are missing out on opportunities because they aren’t treated as full members of the team, we considered that this too was worth investigating. While it may sound like a softer issue, we suspected that it could have a serious impact, not just on part-timers’ wellbeing, but also their ability to deliver their roles successfully, and therefore on business performance.
The resulting research, and subsequent report, Part-Time Work: The Exclusion Zone? shows that we were right to be concerned. Amongst the headline findings are that two-thirds of part-timers feel isolated at work and struggle to make connections, and a similar number feel less up-to-date with team developments. More than half also feel they have fallen behind their full-time colleagues in terms of skills and knowledge.
And while that’s not great for the employees themselves, it also has implications for employers, who are failing to capitalise on the talent and potential that their part-time workers have to offer. Which, as we know only too well, can create extra challenges around issues such as board diversity and the gender pay gap.
The good news is that this workplace ‘flexism’ can be tackled relatively easily. Simply by taking part-time schedules into account when planning team meetings, client events and social opportunities, employers stand to maximise the impact that these employers can have on the business.
They’ll also be better placed to upskill and progress their part-time workers by considering them more carefully when planning training and other development opportunities. And inevitably, that will allow them to hold onto these talented employees for longer.
We’re responding to this research ourselves, by launching the Timewise PowerFlex Network, the UK’s first-ever cross-business network to support middle and senior management part-time and flexible workers.
Designed to offer a dynamic mix of networking opportunities, inspirational speakers and bespoke training, it will be scheduled to help part-time and flexible workers enjoy the kind of opportunities that their full-time colleagues take for granted. If you’d be interested in hosting an event, or would like to know more, do please get in touch.
Part-time workers don’t expect the world to revolve around them. As their responses made clear, they fully accept that they can’t be present for every single meeting or event, and that there are times when they will need to be flexible in return.
But given that 9 in 10 employees say they would prefer to work part-time or flexibly, there’s no room for flexism in today’s workplace. This issue needs to be addressed if employers are to reap the rewards of an increasingly flexible workforce; if you need any support, we’ll be happy to help.
Published December 2018
1.5 million people currently work in low-paid roles in retail, and the majority work part time. Flexibility in working hours is one of the most important reasons cited for choosing to work in retail. However, much talent is wasted because retail staff who need to work flexibly or part-time are trapped in junior jobs: they cannot take their flexibility with them to progress to store management level.
Timewise, supported by the UK Futures programme and working alongside Pets at Home plc, piloted the redesign of retail management roles on a flexible and part-time basis. The aim was to find out if greater access to flexible working could unblock the retail talent pipeline and address diversity issues.
The project also aimed to identify a process for implementing wider access to flexible working, for other retailers to follow.
Pets at Home employs 8,000 store-based colleagues of whom 65% are women. The business suffers from high attrition rates for women. Research amongst employees found that:
Through data mapping, surveys and listening groups, and analysis of operational practices, Timewise helped Pets at Home to identify the challenges and opportunities within the business. The board made a commitment to job redesign for managerial roles, and set up a steering group to run the change process. Training for managers helped to facilitate the new approach, and role models have been championed through internal communications channels.
Through the pilot, Timewise developed a guide for retailers interested in using flexible working as a means to improving talent retention and progression. We recommend a five-stage process to implement flexible job redesign in retail management roles:
Published November 2016
