Is 'A Little Flexibility' Enough?
Aug 07, 2024Data from Flexa's Flexible Working Index has revealed that the number of jobs offering "a little flexibility" (whereby workers can start and finish work a little earlier or late, but otherwise work regular hours) around working hours more than tripled between June 2024 and the same time last year. In June 2023, a quarter of job vacancies advertised "a little flexibility". This same benefit was advertised on 79 per cent of job posts last month - an increase of 216 per cent.
In addition, 27 per cent more job seekers expressed a preference for roles offering "core hours" over the last quarter. Yet, the number of vacancies offering "core hours" declined over the same period.
The irony here is that ‘a little flexibility’ and ‘core hours’ can be 2 sides of the same coin. Core hours are set hours that everyone has to work. For us at From Another, they are 10am to 3pm. This enables us to schedule meetings and key events at times when we know everyone is going to be available, minimising the visibility gap i.e. exclusion of colleagues based on their working arrangements. We could achieve the same outcome by offering ‘a little flexibility’ and adjusting start and finish times based on the needs of each individual but it would generate significantly more work for managers to put in place, monitor and review.
Core hours require policy adjustment at a team or business unit level, it’s a clear commitment by the business to inclusive ways of working – whereas ‘a little flexibility’ can be applied on an individual basis. As an applicant, core hours signal a stronger commitment to family-friendly practices – the employer has done the work to minimise the likelihood you’ll be excluded due to your working arrangements. In contrast ‘a little flexibility’ doesn’t require organisational commitment to those who want and need to work in different ways. It leaves the application of their flexible working policy to the discretion of the recruiting manager or leader which we know leads to inequitable and inconsistent application of policy.
The rise in ‘a little flexibility’ and the decline in ‘core hours’ could signal employers stepping back from the decisions they need to make in their business if they’re going to be truly family friendly.
Read the article here.
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