Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Demonstrate success by example

by Personnel Today 8 Aug 2000
by Personnel Today 8 Aug 2000

The previous Flexible Working column (Personnel Today, 20 June) discussed running a successful pilot scheme of a flexible working policy by sampling a cross-section of the organisation. You now have the board on your side, so, what is stopping the move from policy to practice?


Middle management barrier


The most likely barrier will be middle managers – the same people who are working longer hours in the belief that equals commitment, getting stressed, perhaps drinking too much to unwind and often being the least productive.

A survey of managers in 24 countries, by Cary Cooper, Bupa professor of psychology at the Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, found three out of four UK managers work more than their contracted hours and 54 per cent continue to work in the evening. Some 71 per cent believe work is damaging their health, 79 per cent say it has a detrimental effect on their relationship with their partner and 86 per cent think it harms their relationship with their children.

So why do Britons consistently clock up more hours than any other European nation – despite the Working Time directive?

How can we encourage middle managers to open their minds to flexible working?

Cultural change is always difficult as it affects people at their very core, challenging them to reconsider what they’ve always held true – so tread carefully.

One of the most powerful ways to demonstrate how it can work is through success stories. Share details of how the pilot has worked by interviewing the people who took part and their colleagues and line managers. Ask what they feel are the benefits of and barriers to flexible working.

Support middle managers. Teach them how to manage their teams at different times and locations. Help them co-ordinate so they can still reap the benefits of teamwork.

Any issues are best tackled head on, in a positive spirit, as Alison Winch, training and development director at Interbrew, discovered when she decided to work flexibly after having her second child. “Initially, my team had issues. They wanted to know how they were going to work for someone who wasn’t there all the time. It’s solely about attitude. The technology is there – you can always be in touch.”


Break with tradition


Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

But Winch believes a “pecking order” of reasons for wanting flexibility exists. “Arranging work hours around leisure pursuits still isn’t seen as a good enough reason to go flexible. Children are, because you’re being a good person and looking after a child. It’s about trust and the need of the individual. We need to move away from the traditional command and control work culture.”

Flexible working is not about skiving – it’s about working differently. Negate the “if you give them an inch they’ll take a mile” attitude. It has to be a two-way street – it’s all about trust.

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
Acid helps cut NHS spending on indigestion
next post
Web site of the week: http://osha.eu.int./eu-us/

You may also like

Forward features list 2025 – submitting content to...

23 Nov 2024

Features list 2021 – submitting content to Personnel...

1 Sep 2020

Large firms have no plans to bring all...

26 Aug 2020

A typical work-from-home lunch: crisps

24 Aug 2020

Occupational health on the coronavirus frontline – ‘I...

21 Aug 2020

Occupational Health & Wellbeing research round-up: August 2020

7 Aug 2020

Acas: Redundancy related enquiries surge 160%

5 Aug 2020

Coronavirus: lockdown ‘phase two’ may bring added headaches...

17 Jul 2020

Unemployment to top 4 million as workers come...

15 Jul 2020

Over 1,000 UK redundancies expected at G4S Cash...

14 Jul 2020

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+