Since 2019 we have seen an increase in employees working from home and many Businesses now offer a hybrid working pattern. According to CIPD (2023) it is stated that 83% of organisations have hybrid working in place. Having this in practice does come with its positives so that employees have a better work- life balance and more flexibility, however employers are struggling to now get their employees to come back into the office.
With the new legislation that was implemented on 6 April 2024, employees have the right to make a statutory flexible working request from the first day of their employment and an employee can now make two requests in any 12-month period. In practice, this has put a strain on many Businesses and is a time-consuming process, consisting of conducting meetings with the employee, investigating whether the request can be accommodated and providing a written outcome. If the request is refused, Businesses need to show that that they have done all that is reasonable in the circumstances and provide a clear reason as to why the request was unsuccessful. Businesses should also evaluate any alternative arrangements with the employee and try to reach an amicable agreement, taking into consideration the reasons why the flexible working request was made, for example for childcare reasons. It is vital that Businesses have a policy in place to set out the process of making a flexible working request, the timeframes associated with such a request, and to manage employees’ expectations from the outset.
Remote working often boosts employee’s morale and wellbeing. However, organisations must ensure that this is covered by implementing a remote working policy and employee agreement. Remote working can bring together the work-life balance however it can be isolating, cause burnout and often employees are known to drop in productivity with less interaction during meetings.
To support your employee’s wellbeing whilst they are working from home, Businesses can:
- Conduct Climate surveys – In order to understand how your employees are feeling and address any cause of concern.
- Provide wellbeing employee benefits such as Employee Assist Programme (Nockolds HR offer this as an additional service)
- Have regular checks ins with your employees– This can be done weekly to ensure that there are no concerns.
- Enforce work-home boundaries e.g. ensure employees have a work room whilst at home with no distractions and ensure employees comply with their contractual working hours.
- Encourage employees to take annual leave and implement this into your policies.
- Encourage together days e.g. have employees in the office once a month.
If you require further advice on how to manage hybrid working, please contact our team of HR Consultants on 0345 646 0406, email enquiries@nockoldshr.co.uk or fill out our online enquiry form.