McDonald’s flexible football league
McDonald’s is leveraging flexible working arrangements to help UK employees balance their shifts around the World Cup, with 84% of staff planning to use options like shift swaps and unpaid leave to watch matches. The initiative reflects McDonald’s commitment to employee well-being while maintaining business operations.
Homeworking: perfect your policy
Develop an effective home working policy to build trust and manage remote staff. A structured approach covering communication plans, health and safety, security, and performance expectations helps managers and home workers align on responsibilities and maintain visibility without micromanagement.
Election 2010: Are you voting for flexibility?
All three major political parties are championing flexible working in the 2010 election, citing employee and economic benefits. However, businesses implementing these schemes face challenges around management control and productivity, requiring proper systems and reporting to succeed.
Not enough UK firms are reaping the benefits of flexible working
While nine in ten UK employees want flexible working, only 21% currently have access to it despite a third having caring responsibilities. A survey of 20,000 office workers reveals that government support for flexible working has stalled, causing the UK to miss significant benefits including improved work-life balance and reduced office space costs of up to 30%.
Fathers want employers to be flexible friends
A new survey reveals that while few fathers plan to take extended paternity leave, nearly 80% would embrace flexible working arrangements if employers supported it. However, concerns about finances, job security, and management attitudes prevent many from taking advantage of new parental rights.
Workers should not be held back by lack of part time work
A charity and government officials are calling for more part-time and job-share positions to improve employment opportunities for women and carers. The government plans to recommend that employers consider offering flexible working arrangements for new vacancies, though concerns remain about balancing this with career progression and economic stability.
Flexible working for all – fantasy or reality?
A UK study shows 20% of men fear flexible working requests will damage their careers, despite many firms claiming to offer such arrangements. True flexible working extends beyond choosing hours—it means enabling employees to deliver results in ways that suit both them and the business, boosting productivity, creativity, and work-life balance.
Hooray for homeworking
A survey of 350 home workers found that 85% experienced increased productivity when working from home, with many attributing gains to fewer interruptions, flexible scheduling, and reduced commute times. The Telework Association concluded that home working offers significant organizational benefits through measurable productivity improvements.
Can you enforce your dress code?
Employers have some legal flexibility to enforce dress codes, but the extent remains unclear following a British court’s ruling on religious symbols. While some lawyers say employers can ban religious items like crucifixes and veils, others warn that dress codes must be carefully designed to avoid indirectly discriminating against particular faith groups.
Top tips for offering remote working to employees
Discover five essential tips for successfully implementing remote work policies, from assessing your strategy and ensuring IT infrastructure readiness to securing remote devices and maintaining employee productivity outside the office.
Are your employees snowed under? Severe weather and its impact on business
Severe weather doesn’t have to disrupt business operations significantly. Employers can minimize impact through remote work options, flexible policies, and clear communication with staff, while maintaining health and safety standards during challenging conditions.
The key to creating a great place to work
Creating a great workplace requires flexible leadership and addressing root causes of burnout. UK workers suffer from excessive hours, stress-related absences, and poor work-life balance that damage productivity. Leaders must adopt externally-focused strategies, prioritize employee wellbeing, and foster cultures that attract and retain motivated talent.
Ten top tips: Working from home
Remote workers face unique challenges that require strong leadership and clear communication. These ten tips cover team structure, vision-setting, trust-building, and performance management to help managers and employees succeed while working from home and maintain productivity across distances.
Parents to share maternity leave, says Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown announced plans to allow parents to share maternity leave, letting fathers take up to six months of leave after mothers return to work. The scheme, delayed from earlier this year, will begin in April 2011 to give businesses time to adjust, though some employers have warned of administrative challenges.
HR tip: Wearing shorts at work
Employers can generally allow employees to wear shorts on hot days unless the job requires formal dress. Focus on cleanliness and tidiness rather than personal preferences, and avoid sex discrimination by applying dress codes equally to all employees.
Are they being served?
During economic downturns, HR teams focused on redundancies and cost-cutting often neglect employee engagement, risking loss of their best talent. Research shows engaged employees feel heard and informed about organizational changes, yet many companies fail to address basic communication needs that could improve retention and productivity.
Ask the expert: Return from maternity leave
A maternity returner failed to provide the required eight weeks’ notice and is requesting reduced hours from three to two days per week on non-preferred days. Employers can postpone the return date or negotiate using flexible working procedures, refusing requests only on specified business grounds like operational needs.
Celebrating National Work from Home Day
National Work from Home Day highlights the growing benefits of remote working for UK employees and businesses. Recent research shows over half of employees now work from home more often, with 72% of SMEs operating some form of home working arrangement. Both workers and employers benefit through cost savings, improved retention, and environmental gains.
HR Tip: Foster parents and flexible working
Foster parents have the same flexible working rights as biological parents if they have six months of service and exercise parental responsibility. This includes natural parents, guardians, and adopters seeking to balance work with childcare duties.
How ‘family-friendly’ are the parties?
The three main UK political parties propose different family-friendly policies, including varying maternity leave options, flexible working arrangements, and workplace protections. Labour offers the most comprehensive package with extended paid maternity leave and pension reforms, while the Conservatives focus on flexible maternity payment options and the Liberal Democrats propose a maternity income guarantee.
