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+

Latest News

Firms lack policies on flexible working

by Personnel Today 4 Sep 2001
by Personnel Today 4 Sep 2001

HR professionals have revealed that two thirds of their organisations do not
have a formal policy on flexible working.

A survey of more than 500 personnel specialists has shown that 67 per cent
do not have a set policy in place.

This research by the Industrial Society has been released as the Work and
Parents Taskforce meets again this month to develop the rights of parents to
work flexibly.

Professor Sir George Bain, chair of the Work and Parents Taskforce, said,
"The survey shows there is an issue in getting employers to take flexible
working seriously, and this can particularly affect those employees who could
benefit most – parents of young children."

The research, called Flexible Work Patterns, shows that, although 91 per cent
of respondents now offer more flexible work patterns, only one third of
organisations surveyed have a set flexible working policy.

Harjit Sidhu, associate HR director of telecoms company Transcomm UK, said a
formal policy on flexible working is important for improving staff retention.

She said, "We had an informal policy for a year and it didn’t work half
as well as when we introduced a formal approach."

Staff were uncertain whether they were eligible to work flexibly and senior
management participated only when the policy became formalised and included in
the employee handbook, Sidhu said.

Michael Griffin, director of HR for King’s College Hospital NHS Trust and a
member of the Work and Parents Taskforce, said, "Making the ground rules
for flexible working clear for all managers and staff is essential for these
schemes to benefit both the business and the employee."

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.

www.indsoc.co.uk

By Katie Hawkins

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
In search of a clearer conscience
next post
Leading companies to audit pay as part of gender gap probe

You may also like

Government publishes ‘roadmap’ for Employment Rights Bill

1 Jul 2025

Ethnicity and disability pay gaps: Ready to report?...

1 Jul 2025

Government moves swiftly on immigration reform

1 Jul 2025

One in eight senior NHS managers from black...

1 Jul 2025

Government launches ‘landmark’ review of parental leave

1 Jul 2025

Clarks cuts 1,200 jobs after ‘year of transition’

1 Jul 2025

How HR can support families with adoption

1 Jul 2025

Co-op equal pay claims move onto next stage

30 Jun 2025

‘Be direct’ to avoid escalating conflict, advises Acas

30 Jun 2025

Reforming paternity leave could benefit UK by £13bn...

30 Jun 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...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+