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This is a particularly contentious issue with the UK economy in recession and the SME sector, the engine of the economy, struggling to cope. Over the last decade business has argued they have been burdened with increased costs and bureaucracy that stifles their competitiveness especially globally where companies in other countries do not have the same legislative overheads. Understandably, the main objection from business to this, albeit well meaning, legislation is it could further increase businesses costs, resulting in increased business failures at the worst economic time in the last 60 years!

So should SMEs be concerned about this legislation? Predictably the answer is not necessarily and solutions exist to assist businesses to adapt and improve the effectiveness of their key assets: employees. The working environment is more matrixed and objectives driven and the need to monitor every working hour is less relevant. The ones who look further will be pleasantly surprised at the business advantages that are readily available by embracing flexible working. Businesses can make significant gains if they take an open-minded approach to this change and use the technology available to provide transparency to managers, the right work-life balance to employees and continuity to customers. The UK economy succeeds with innovation and the creative ability of its employees to create new opportunities and provide better skills than other markets. A stressed employee who is struggling to meet strenuous work like balance is less productive and creative. It is in all company’s benefit to ensure the creative abilities are exploited through better support.

With the correct service partner, implementing a flexible working policy is painless and the financial case is very strong. Where flexible working has been implemented the benefits to businesses have been strong in terms of reduced costs, increased business flexibility, greater motivated and productive employees who are loyal to an employer who understands the demands of the modern work-life balance.

Robust and reliable technology exists that now enable businesses of any size to implement flexible working without requiring expensive in-house skills or capital equipment expenditure. High speed, ubiquitous broadband networks now make critical business services easily and reliably accessible from anywhere and allow any company to leverage the benefits easily, quickly and cost-effectively. The concerns raised by some companies on employee transparency, productivity and control are readily addressed without incremental increases in existing budgets.

The gains are large in terms of reduction in required office space, cost of travel to and from work, staff loyalty and greater productivity. For the companies that see the opportunity this may be the catalyst to realise that the solutions are there to create a more competitive business. With the right combination of robust, tested telecommunications services, targeted HR policies and training for employees and management, any organisation can transform this perceived headache into a competitive advantage.

In conclusion, yes the SME sector can cope. The key barrier to embracing flexible working is no longer technological or financial but cultural. Businesses who embrace the change will realise significant benefits, not only in the short-term but will be ideally placed for rapid grow as the economy recovers.

Natasha Davies writes for ellesys – provider of hosted and CPE telephony applications, conferencing and collaboration focused on the needs of a business.

Related Flexible Working Articles…

Fathers unsure of flexible working rights

The poll found that a fifth (20%) of dads with kids aged 16 or under – who, by law, are entitled to request flexible working from their employer – did not know if their company offered flexible working to fathers; 34% of parents with …

Flexible working

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Family-first flexible working policies a winner

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In a very dark room, where we keep our web programmers, a new website is being built to promote the ‘Supporting Parents In Business’ campaign as a standalone project.

Using various methods of guilt and hot-flushes we have managed to secure the support of many large firms from both sides of the Atlantic. Part of the deal being that they have to promote flexible work and post their flex jobs on hmp. In return they get a socially responsible pat on the back and the chance to put their logo on the site.

We’re trying to make a ‘SPIB’ badge a must have for business, a way to show that they are a considerate employer and adhere to the principle of flexible working. And we need your help.

We need to show employers that flexible work is no longer a nice extra in todays workplace but something that is integral to the choices a parent makes when choosing a company. As an employee or a customer.

To this end we want you to tell business what flexible work means to you. Take 5 minutes to put your thoughts in order and then sit in front of a webcam and talk.

Introduce yourself, explain your family situation and then give us just a few seconds of how a flexible job would mean all the difference to you and your family.

We’re taking the gloves off. Government and business have danced around the subject for years and concessions have been slow in coming. We have the numbers now, and they’re growing daily. We want your voices to be heard on the subject to apply pressure, to make it a social embarrassment not to offer flexible work, to be a business pariah to both employees and consumers.

You get the idea.

Your videos will be shown on the new SPIB website to give it a human face, real people with real views; to bring flexible work out of the confines of the HR policy review and legislative meetings and show the groundswell of support that flexible work has behind it.

We need to push this now. And keep pushing. I hope you’ll help.

Record a short video of why flexible work is important to you and send the file to spibsite@hiremyparents.com – this is just step 1, we will be calling on you again.

Yvette Cooper seems to have dropped any softly-softly approach to reforming the British labour market and dropped a big one on the business community, not least the business secretary Lord Mandelson.

Combined with yesterday’s announcement of the 3 month paternity leave, the right for everyone to ‘ask’ for flexible working arrangements clearly defines a new approach to Britain’s labour market in favour of lifestyle/family versus money/working hours. HR departments around the country are staring teary-eyed at the mountain of paperwork that awaits.

Is this a reaction to cuddly Cameron’s ‘broken Britain’? Legislation that will allow Britain’s families to be families rather than chasing the mighty £ at the cost family time. Who cares? If Cooper pulls it off it will finally tip the scales in favour of families.

No longer will parents be the only ones that can claim flexible work – it’ll be a level playing field. If you don’t want flextime, as a non-parent, don’t have it. But it is there if you want it and that makes all the difference in the subtle hierarchies of the workplace. Before parents had something the others didn’t, now they can choose to use what everyone has the option to use. Big difference.

This is Cooper’s email, whether you’re a Brit or not send her a message of support. She’s going up against small-minded business and the Dark Lord himself, she’s going to need it.

BTW – this is the second day in a row I’ve big’d up a labour minister, it won’t become a habit, I promise.

Related Flexible Working Articles …

When good flexible working goes bad …

With case studies of flexible work, we hear the good news. But I’ve come across several examples of flexible working programmes that have gone into decline, or reverse. Here are some of the reasons why: …

New rights for families are good news for business | Left Foot Forward

It is also worth noting that rights including the right to request flexible working, equal treatment rights for part-time workers and stronger protection against unfair dismissal have played a role in limiting job losses during the …

CentreRight: A better system of parental leave requires real …

Further, by changing existing maternity pay into a flexible parent pay that working parents receive at the same rate, bureaucracy can be removed and new flexibility can be introduced. With the payment going to families and not being …

Related articles …

• Good Britain Vs. Equal Britain (online.wsj.com)
• Census: Home workers grew in first part of decade (sfgate.com)
• UK government promoting work-life balance (americablog.com)

Over 2.6 million caregivers will benefit from the right to request flexible working in the UK alone, with a further 50 million in the USA.

Rosalyn Carter said it best: “There are only four kinds of people in the world – those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers”.

With many caregivers looking after elderly relatives it meant a huge pool of talent, at its most productive phase of life, was lost to business because of its INflexibility.

With new legislation catching up to the needs of society this is another slice of the population, along with parents, who will be able to rejoin and contribute in the workplace outside of giving care.

Related Caregivers and Flexible Work Articles …

The Anti-Mommy Bias – Economix Blog – NYTimes.com

Some policy analysts argue that mothers make a lifestyle choice, opting for easier, more flexible work over greater responsibility and higher pay. Others, like myself, argue that our economic system imposes unfair penalties on those who care for others. … In May 2007, the Equal Opportunities Employment Commission issued official guidance on FRED, explaining circumstances under which discrimination against caregivers violates existing law. …

Are you Fair Work ready?

2. Request for flexible work arrangements: An employee who has responsibility for a child under school age or someone under 18 with a disability has a right to request a change in working arrangements. …

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All of a sudden it seems the world has gone flexible work mad. The South Korean government has outlined plans to increase labour market participation among women, the Aussies have just thrown up their hands and given some of the most pro-flex legislation I’ve come across – probably a bit too ‘pro’ in my view, I’ll get to that in a future post – and in the European Union women have filled 6m of the 8m new jobs created since 2000. My work is done, I’m going to play with the kids.

But hold on a damn minute. Aren’t women still being paid less?

Aren’t the middle classes still juggling with the flex v’s childcare conundrum?

Many women feel they have to choose between their children and their careers. Women who prosper in high-pressure companies during their 20s drop out in dramatic numbers in their 30s and then find it almost impossible to regain their earlier momentum. Less-skilled women are trapped in poorly paid jobs with hand-to-mouth child-care arrangements. Motherhood, not sexism, is the issue: in America, childless women earn almost as much as men, but mothers earn significantly less. And those mothers’ relative poverty also disadvantages their children.

I’m afraid there’s a long way to go on the flexible work front and the only way to change things is through education. We need to change the mind-set of the corporate world and those that govern us. Make them play by a new set of rules that they actually act on and not just give lip service to in the hope of gaining good PR or votes.

Sorry kids, I think Dora’s on Nick, I’ve got work to do.

If you have a story to tell or experience to share regarding your search for flexible work please let me know through our facebook page or in the comments. In building a library of concerns we can both address them and use them to reflect the need for a change in the workplace.

Related Flexible Work Articles…

One Year Later–Flexible Downsizing and Hard Choices Post …

A year ago, the economic downturn was in full gear. As layoffs gained momentum, I loudly promoted a more flexible approach to downsizing as an alternative to knee jerk job cuts. If executed correctly and strategically, compressed workweeks, … The work has returned and requires the same number of headcount to complete, but is generating less revenue. This means tough choices still need to be made, and creative, low-cost means of reward and engagement pursued. …

CareerMums: Family and work flexibility: Flexible work options

Where an employee works for a certain number of months a year and then is granted unpaid leave for the remainder of the year (works for employers with seasonal work demands and employees needing more time off than the average 4 weeks …

Employers See a Brighter 2010 : The Work Buzz

We can safely say that 2009 was a year where the economy struggled, and we still have some work to do in 2010. However, this year 20 percent of employers plan to add new employees in 2010–in 2009 only 14 percent said so. … They also intend to implement flexible work arrangements that help employees maintain a good work-life balance and consequently keep them happy. And in an effort to retain top talent, many organizations will ask some employees to postpone retirement …

Flexible Work In Government | hiremyparents blog

Governments in Europe and the States have been making a big push on the flexible work front over the last few years. … to protect jobs – and finding an additional £3bn to help people find new work quicker. … The Government’s flexible tax credits system has risen to the challenge of the downturn, delivering substantial support to families to compensate for this loss of pay. So far this year, because of tax credits 400000 families whose income has fallen have benefited … …

Related articles …

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This is an eye-opening piece about how connectivity and broadband will shape the future of not just work practices but the population flow –

Mobile giant Orange’s research shows that better access to both mobile and fixed line broadband could shape the workforce of the future.

Orange has created an interactive map of the country to pinpoint the connectivity hotspots of the future and work out how that will affect the next generation workforce.

Based on the mobile giant’s Connected Britain research, the interactive map went live today and highlights which areas of the UK could benefit from population growth thanks to their internet-based wealth. Conversely, it flags the areas that could see people leave in droves due to lack of mobile and fixed line broadband connectivity.

Indeed, the South West could see its population swell by a whopping 150 per cent by 2015, while Scotland and London’s head counts are set to grow by 50 per cent and 40 per cent respectively, according to the research.

“Our research found that a digitally connected workforce could change the face of Britain as we know it,” said Robert Ainger, Orange’s director of corporate marketing, in a statement.

“Not only could the population itself shift, but the way we work could also fundamentally change. The interactive map means that visitors to the site can quickly check out their current location or somewhere else that takes their fancy, to see how things are likely to pan out there in future.”

The map also showcases how each region fares when it comes to flexible working, which is generally interlinked with having the right technology in place.

Orange’s research suggested that businesses could save more than £30 billion by being a bit more savvy about the benefits of flexible working practices.

Orange maps UK’s future connectivity hotspots – Original Post by Maggie Holland

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Next Generation Connectivity: A review of broadband Internet …

This report is commonly refered to as the “Broadband Study” looks at “broadband deployment and usage throughout the world” for the FCC. The U.S. did not show well and was relegated to “middle-of-the-pack performer” status, …

BBC – dot.life: Britain – the digital champion?

Note if we combine our payments for affordable broadband, affordable fixed voice and affordable mobile (voice, text, and broadband access) there is plenty there to pay for a better quality connectivity, but it will require encumbent …

Vice President Biden Kicks Off $7.2 Billion Recovery Act Broadband …

The funding is integral to a smart grid initiative and broadband service based on an open-connectivity fiber optic backbone network. • OKLAHOMA: Southeast Oklahoma, The Pine Telephone Company, $9.5 grant with an additional $4.6 million …

Broadband Stimulus

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Governments in Europe and the States have been making a big push on the flexible work front over the last few years. Michelle Obama has put her pennies worth in and the Labour party in the UK has attempted to use it as a vote grabber with the middle-classes while simultaneously fending off cuddly Cameron.

Unfortunately, it seems that the UK government hasn’t practised what it’s preached with a recent report stating that only 14% of government systems are accessible remotely by civil servants.

I’m all for the British nuclear arsenal being kept behind closed doors and MI6 probably shouldn’t use WIFI at Starbucks but surely the government should take more of a lead when promoting flexible options.

Does it really matter if some civil servant from the education department works from home on their latest white paper? Is it really that hard to set up a secure connection to the department of transport?

Come on Gordon, or David I suppose, money – mouth.

Other Flexible Work In Government News…

Pre-Budget Report statement in full | News | Local Government …

As the global recession hit our country, we responded by bringing forward investment in vital infrastructure projects to protect jobs – and finding an additional £3bn to help people find new work quicker. … The Government’s flexible tax credits system has risen to the challenge of the downturn, delivering substantial support to families to compensate for this loss of pay. So far this year, because of tax credits 400000 families whose income has fallen have benefited …

REC urges government to protect the UK flexible labour market

The REC has now asked the government to ensure that forthcoming regulations do not have a negative impact on flexible working options within organisations. The REC has claimed that it’s also crucial for the government to recognise the …

Related Articles…

• Darling’s message to middle Britain | Pre-budget report | Martin Kettle (guardian.co.uk)

Please ‘share your thoughts’ on Flexible Work In Government

The key word in that last paragraph was ‘offer’. I really don’t care how many employers ‘offer’ flexible work – I want to know how many people take them up on it. I then want to know the pay, time-off and chances of progression for those that work the flexi time offered.

It is not enough to simply offer flexible work as a carrot to entice top employees or improve the company’s public relations message. The whole corporate mentality has to shift from using it as a gimmick to actually seeing it as the way the 21st century will work. If business doesn’t embrace this change in society then society will change business – and any company still stuck in the 9-5 rut will lose its employees and its customers.

Today in Flexible Work:

Why Women Lawyers Leave: A Quest for Flexible Work and Supportive …

More than 70 percent of the job-hopping lawyers said their previous employer was not supportive of full-time flexible alternatives, while only 30 percent described their current employer as unsupportive of such arrangements. …

Flexible work options bring thanks – » Welcome to Careers 2.0 …

They work long hours, yet can arrange a work schedule that starts earlier (in pajamas if desired), accommodates family time and is all around more flexible. It’s hard to hide from the office, but you are the boss. …

European Unemployment Levels

This is thanks to a large developed service market, part-time work and especially acceptance of flexible work with interim job placement bureaus …. all creating a very flexible labor market. Thus, it is much easier to balance supply …

Related articles:

• Top Ten Ways to Find Joy at Work (blogs.harvardbusiness.org)
• Small-Business Guide: Buying the Best Insurance for Your Business (nytimes.com)
• Making Jobs: Can the Government Really Boost Employment? (time.com)

That’s your flexible work update for today.

UK workers spend 21.8 million hours travelling to and from work each day.

This costs the UK £266 million worth of working time each day, according to TUC calculations.

But Lovell believes that technological developments in computing mean that people should be able to work from the place that suits them best – in the process removing hours of travel every day.

“With the ability to securely access documents and remotely collaborate on them in real-time, and with desktop and phone systems able to span the globe, there is no reason why a traditional five-day working week in the office should continue,” he said.

Allowing employees to work more flexibly could add extra time to their working day and remove a commute which might impact on their productivity, he added.

Research commissioned by the government recently revealed that 82% of adults are unaware that people who care for a spouse or relative can ask their employer for flexible working arrangements.

By Nick Howard

Work and pensions secretary Yvette Cooper said employers advertising full-time job vacancies through Jobcentre Plus should be encouraged to open those positions up to job sharers and part-time workers.

The government was also thought to be considering extending flexible working laws to enable women to ask future – not just current – employers if they can work flexible hours.

But sources close to business secretary Peter Mandelson said the department had “no plans” to change the laws.

Cooper told the Observer that more “good quality part-time jobs” were needed, both for lone parents expected to seek work under the government’s planned welfare reforms and more broadly for many other working parents.

Steve Pritchard, co-founder of hiremyparents.com, said: “We welcome any extention to flexible working legislation but I can’t see how requesting flexible hours from a potential employer would not be detrimental to any application. I would think it far easier and less harmful to an application if employers were forced to state the level of flexibility available within a job description. If a vacancy was actually promoted as flexible then far more experienced professionals would apply and the parameters of job flexibility would be understood by all parties.”

The Government is also said to be setting up a database of new part-time jobs and a new taskforce is to look at ways of boosting part-time jobs. The moves are said to be part of an attempt to appeal to working mums in the run-up to an election. However, it is reported that the plans have not been presented yet to business secretary Peter Mandelson and that his department had no plans to extend flexible working rights.