The Flexible Working Taskforce launches new employer guidance on hybrid working to promote best practice
Published: 3 Dec 2021
Members of the Flexible Working Taskforce, including Working Families, have published new practical guidance to help employers develop fair and sustainable hybrid working practices.
The guidance is designed to help employers harness the benefits of well managed hybrid working practices which can help organisations attract and retain staff while supporting employee wellbeing, inclusion and performance.
It offers practical advice, focusing on the key areas of people management, recruitment and induction, inclusion and fairness, and health, safety and wellbeing.
The launch of the guidance is being supported by members of the Taskforce including Acas, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), Carers UK, CBI, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Chartered Management Institute (CMI), the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), Federation of Small Business (FSB), the Institute of Directors (IoD), Make UK, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), Scope, Timewise, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Working Families.
Employers are encouraged to consider:
- Providing training to people managers on how to manage hybrid teams effectively and support hybrid workers, including performance management, remote communication, collaboration and relationship building.
- Reviewing HR processes and procedures across the whole employee lifecycle to ensure they support hybrid working in practice, while also enabling inclusion and wellbeing.
- Engaging with and listening to employees, managers, trade unions and other employee representatives to understand the early lessons of hybrid working and ensure it is being applied fairly and delivering anticipated benefits to individuals and the organisation.
- Keeping any hybrid working policies and principles under ongoing review, including the impact on workers with protected characteristics, and ensuring that action is taken to address any negative or unintended outcomes of hybrid work.
- Recognising that hybrid working is just one form of flexible working, and that time flexibility and flexibility in working schedules can also benefit people and in particular for those who have to be in a place of work to fulfil their jobs.
You can download the new guidance for free, here – Hybrid Working – Practical Guidance
Jane van Zyl, CEO of Working Families, said:
“The pandemic has fundamentally changed employer attitudes about when and where work is best delivered, as well as created new expectations from employees about how they should be able to access flexible working arrangements. For many parents and carers, greater choice and flexibility over where they work has hugely improved their day-to-day experience and, in many instances, helped them to keep their jobs whilst meeting their caring responsibilities. As we move into our ‘new normal’, we want to make sure we keep those gains.
“However, there is still work to do. Employers need to make sure that changing workplace practices are inclusive, and allow equal progression within roles wherever they’re worked. We also need to remember that flexible working is about more than just location: while hybrid working is incredibly positive for some, other employees and roles may be more suited to other forms of flexibility such as flexible hours, part time work or job shares.
“This practical guidance will help employers transition to new models of hybrid working that will help attract and retain talent and ensure that employees have the flexibility they need to perform effectively in their roles.”