Flexible working - how exactly will your business benefit?

There has been increasing Government pressure for employers to prioritise family-friendly policies, and as of April 2003 new employment legislation looking at flexible working time will ensure that action is taken. Many employers believe that options such as job-sharing, part-time working and teleworking will have a negative impact on productivity and profitability, but there is a flipside.

As the Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt recently pointed out: stress costs British business 370 million a year - yet 7 out of 10 stressed workers do not have access to proper flexible working practices. Is this a coincidence? Driving down stress-related leave and meeting the individual needs of workers - be them students, parents, older workers - will surely see an enthusiastic and loyal workforce being built, and being retained. It's worth noting that it costs a company an average of 3000 every time and employee leaves, and if increased flexibility can prevent this then it has to be worth sitting up and taking notice.

Employees will now have new rights to request flexible working time, and it is going to be harder for employers to say no. HR professionals have to ensure that these rights are communicated effectively and also have the tough task of engaging the support of managers, team leaders and those in the frontline of actually implementing these policies.

On 21st & 22nd May 2003 at The Flexible Working Time Policies Forum HR professionals will discuss how they will implement these changes once the legislation has been published. With leading edge case studies from BT, HSBC, Microsoft, Marks & Spencer, Compass and The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, this is an excellent opportunity for HR professionals to benchmark against other companies and discuss how to make implementation cost-effective - and effective.