Remote and Flexible WorkingTransforming the Workspace

Session 2

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The business casefor flexible and remote working

Photo by victoriapeckham

Photo by Stephen Cummings

Photo by Matt Biddulph

What does flexible working mean…

To you as an individual?

To you as a manager?

To you as an organisation?

What are the business benefits of remote working?

Attract talent and reduce costs by introducing flexible working patternsReduce the need for permanent office space Enable collaboration by extending working practices to include external partnersOpen new opportunities, markets and services for the businessBetter service for customers

BT case study

BT have seen positive measurable results since its implementation of flexible working including:£350 million savings in accommodation costs20% less absenteeism than national average99% of employees on maternity leave return compared to national average of 49%7% improvement in ‘people satisfaction’£10million saved through retention

BT: Benefits to the Environment

In 12 months, flexible working has saved BT people an equivalent of 1,800 years of commutingWithin 10 years, teleworking and technology is predicted to achieve 18% reduction in heavy goods vehicle journeysBT employees save on average 12 million litres of car fuel a year by working flexiblyIncreased home working has the potential to cut the worst peak traffic by up to 10% within 5 years – saving 14.5 billion miles per yearBy 2010 the benefits to the UK economy in terms of reduced congestion costs could be up to £1.9 billion

BT: SummaryProductivity increased 31%Customer satisfaction increased 8% Property reduction £180m (£6K per desk)Absenteeism reduced by 63% (now 3.1 days pa)Employee Satisfaction… increased 14%… and Retention 96% (attrition 3% men, 4% women)Fuel Costs £10m saving pa

Better use of people, buildings & IT… more for less

Success metricsCompanyAccommodation costs –

office spaceOverheadsRecruitment

EnvironmentFuel costs and costs to the environmentProductivityCustomer satisfaction

PeopleAbsenteeismSatisfactionMaternity returnersRetention

Model of key strategic issues

Company strategy

Finance &Shareholders

Competition

Staff Recruitment

andretention

CustomersLegislation

Community

Corporate governance

H&S

Suppliers

ROI ExerciseIn groups of 3 or 4, build a business case for flexible working using your own company or a typical SME

Identify the biggest benefit to your business.

Feedback

Summarise

Legal issues and statutory guidelines

Who can apply for flexible working?

Legal right to request flexible working

Employees with children under 16

Employees with disabled children under 18 years old and who are in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) 

Carers for certain kinds of adults

Who can apply for flexible working?

Applicants must fulfil certain criteria:

Employees with a contract of employment

Have been working for you for at least 26 weeks continuously at the time of the application

And have not made another application within the previous 12 months

Making an applicationA valid application must

be dated and in writing - whether on paper, email or faxstate that it is being made under the statutory right to make a flexible working requestconfirm that they have, or expect to have, caring responsibility for a child or adult in need or careconfirm their relationship with the child or adult in questionspecify the flexible working pattern applied forexplain the effect of the proposed change may have on your business and how you can deal with any such effectstate the date on which they want the change to start (allowing eg 12-14 weeks)state whether they have made any applications to you before and, if so, when

Making an applicationThe Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: BIS (formerly Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform: BERR) sample request form can be used by employees to make a request for flexible working arrangements.

Applications are for a permanent change, unless specified period requested – no ‘right of return’

The employer must respondarrange a meeting with the employee within 28 days allow the employee to be accompanied notify the employee of the decision within 14 days -

accept the request and establish a start date & actionsconfirm a compromise agreed at the meeting, orreject the request and set out clear business reasons for the rejection together with notification of the appeals processrequest an extension of time to consider further

The BIS (formerly BERR) website has template acceptance and rejection forms

Applications can be refusedOnly for sound business reasons as follows:

Burden of additional costsDetrimental effect on ability to meet customer demandInability to reorganise work among existing staffInability to recruit additional staffDetrimental impact on qualityDetrimental impact on performanceInsufficiency of work during periods employee wants to workPlanned structural changes

Possibilities

negotiate a different form of the flexible working arrangementstrial period (eg three months)

Rights of appeal

Employees have 14 days to appeal in writing after employer

rejects their request.

If they appeal the employer must:

arrange to hear the employee's appeal within 14 days allow employee to be accompanied notify the employee of the decision within 14 days

The notification will either:

uphold the appeal, specify the agreed variation, ordismiss the appeal, state the grounds for the decision and contain a sufficient explanation of the refusal

Time limits can be varied by mutual agreement and in writing

An employee can then take this decision to an outside body - either ACAS or an employment tribunal.

Learning from Case LawCraddock v Cornwall County

Council

The EAT commented that it was a glimpse of the obvious to say that employing part-time employees could be inconvenient in that it required an employer to make adjustments. Yet the failure to make such adjustments to allow for part-time posts denied society the services of a wider pool of potential employees. Personnel Today Report

Judgement (.doc format)

Other legislation…

Working Time Regulations

Right to Request Time Off for Training

Single Equality Bill

Contracts, recruitment and H&S

Locationindependent

Time independent

Locationdependent

Timedependent

• Routine administrative duties

• Outbound sales calls

• Planning

• IT programming

• IT support

• Conference calls

• Staff appraisal meetings

• Meetings

• Client meetings/Sales meetings

• Some elements of manufacturing/production

• customer service

• training

ELEMENTS OF A ROLE

Job design

Recruiting remote workers

Be creative and advertise the job where the remote workers are

Specialist agencies eg flexworks-uk >

Online skills banks eg Skillfair >

Social networks, eg Twitter >

Preparing a statement of working practices

Definition of remote workingWhat the remote worker will need to do before starting to work from home What the company will need to doChanges to the remote working arrangementEquipment provided (itemized)Health and safetyExpenses The remote worker’s own responsibilities for H&S and security

Sample documents

Sample Home Workers’ PolicySample Remote Worker’s Agreement

The Health & Safety Executive has produced specific guidance for health and safety of remote workers and home workers

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg226.pdf

Most of the Regulations made under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) apply to homeworkers as well as to those working at an employer's workplace.

Health and Safety

H&S and legal implications

Analyse workstations (risk assessments etc)

Plan work so breaks/changes of activity

On-request eye tests

H&S training and info for staff

Lunch

Thanks to