3 Ways to Help Your Business Adopt Flexible and Hybrid Working
If you’re thinking about implementing flexible or hybrid working into your business permanently, you’re not alone. A recent study from the Institute of Directors found that 74% of companies are planning on keeping homeworking after the pandemic.
Flexible working was on the government's agenda back in 2019. But thanks to the pandemic, thinking on this topic has been accelerated. Over the past 18 months, many employees have found that they are more than able to do their jobs flexibly or even fully remotely. This is putting pressure on employers to make flexible and hybrid workings more accessible.
The UK Government are currently running a consultation called ‘Making Flexible Working the Default’. Closing December 1st, this consultation proposes that flexible working options should be as ‘day one’ right for employees. Below we’ve detailed three tips that could help you successfully introduce flexible working into your business permanently.
Have a clear and comprehensive policy
To avoid any confusion, having a clear and comprehensive policy on flexible working is a must-have. According to ACAS, any policy should be based on the following structure:
Introduction
What is flexible working?
Types of flexible working
The needs of the organisation
Eligibility
Submitting a flexible working request
Meetings regarding flexible working
Responding to a flexible working request
Right to appeal decision
Trialling of new working arrangements
Varying an employee’s contract
Complaints and further information
Having a policy helps provide a roadmap for both staff and managers to deal with flexible working requests. This can streamline the procedure and ensure everyone knows where they stand. You can find a sample policy for flexible working here.
Adopt the right communication technology
If you have staff members split between home and the office having the right communication tech to support them is essential. Depending on your business you may need to consider technology for both internal comms and softphone technology to take inbound customer calls.
Some of the most popular applications for internal comms include:
For managing customer calls, some of the most popular tech includes:
Without the right technology, your team will struggle to communicate. If they’re struggling to communicate, this impacts how your business performs. Adopting the most suitable technology for your business is a serious consideration.
Carry out background checks
Trust is one of the big challenges that people have when hiring or managing remote workers. Many organisations worry that they are going to potentially fall victim to criminals or frauds. Considering the rise in employee fraud in recent years, this is an understandable concern. Background checks are a useful tool that can give you peace of mind.
The most common check carried out in the UK is the Basic DBS Check. This is the lowest level of criminal record check available and will show any unspent convictions on an individual's records.
For roles where someone is handling money, there are different types of adverse financial checks. These will reveal any CCJ’s, bankruptcies, voluntary arrangements, decrees in Scotland and administration orders.
There is a background check for every situation and every type of business imaginable. If you’re looking for more information about how background checks can support your business, get in touch! You can give us a call on 01254 355688 or drop us an email to letstalk@personnelchecks.co.uk and we’ll be more than happy to talk through the best solution for you!