MANY of you are flexible – and we’re not talking about your aerobic capacity! A report suggests that flexible working has had a huge impact in saving companies from the perils of the recession. Staff are more open to job sharing, shorter working weeks, and home working, in their bid to help keep their jobs – and the global economy going. Productivity has increased as a direct result.
Staff who have flexible working options will often accept lower pay as a trade-off against fitting a job in with their home life, and paying them by the hour against completed timesheets works well.
Although employment regulations can be a hindrance, the message is that employing people at hours that suit them can be a boon to a company’s output. And yet managing to find available part-time resources can be a problem as many recruitment agents, limited to traditional practices, are reported to get only a proportion of the commission fee.
Local papers can be a good place to start advertising for these positions as well as putting the word out through current staff. Help is also at hand for recruiting women in particular. Many women with families prefer part time work and have great experience they can call upon. If you are an employer looking to recruit – or if you are a woman in the hunt for part-time employment – one such website you can get in touch with is Women Like Us (www.womenlikeus.org.uk). They can help design the right job for your organisation – as well as find suitable roles if you are looking.
It’s easy when you know how!