The document discusses flexible working arrangements and provides definitions, types of flexibility, factors driving increased interest, challenges for employers and employees, and how to effectively implement flexible working. It examines benefits like improved recruitment and retention as well as challenges such as managing remote employees and organizational culture changes. The document serves as a guide for understanding and setting up flexible work programs.

1. How flexible are you when it comes
to work?
by Toronto Training and HR
March 2012

2. 3-4 Introduction to Toronto Training and HR
5-6 Definition
7-9 Types of flexible working
Contents 10-12 Contributory factors to increased interest
13-14 The main flexible systems
15-16 Introducing flexible working
17-19 Potential contributions from HR
20-22 Concerns typically raised by employees
23-25 Questions to ask when preparing to work flexibly
26-27 Challenges employers may encounter
28-29 Typical groups who seek flexible working
30-33 Effective implementation of flexible working
34-35 Categories of flexible working arrangements
36-37 Measuring the success of flexible working
38-40 Benefits of flexible working
41-43 Challenges faced by management
44-45 Change management
46-51 Teleworking
52-53 Managing remote working
54-57 Case studies
58-59 Conclusion and questions
Page 2

3. Introduction
Page 3

4. Introduction to Toronto Training
and HR
• Toronto Training and HR is a specialist training and human
resources consultancy headed by Timothy Holden
• 10 years in banking
• 10 years in training and human resources
• Freelance practitioner since 2006
• The core services provided by Toronto Training and HR are:
- Training event design
- Training event delivery
- Reducing costs
- Saving time
- Improving employee engagement & morale
- Services for job seekers
Page 4

5. Definition
Page 5

6. Definition
What is flexible working?
Page 6

7. Types of flexible working
Page 7

8. Types of flexible working 1 of 2
Part-time working
Term-time working
Job-sharing
Flexitime
Compressed hours
Annual hours
Working from home on a regular basis
Page 8

9. Types of flexible working 2 of 2
Mobile working and teleworking
Career breaks
Page 9

10. Contributory factors to
increased interest
Page 10

11. Contributory factors to
increased interest 1 of 2
Its potential value as a recruitment and retention
tool
The changing profile of the workforce (for
example, with more women in the labour market
and an ageing population it is increasingly
common for workers to have caring responsibilities
outside the workplace)
Advances in technology (facilitating, for example,
remote working and hot-desking arrangements)
Page 11

12. Contributory factors to
increased interest 2 of 2
An increasing need for businesses to be able to
deliver services to customers on a 24/7 basis
The economic situation - some organizations have
offered part-time working or sabbaticals as a
method of avoiding or minimizing redundancies
The increased demand for an effective work-life
balance
Page 12

13. The main flexible systems
Page 13

14. The main flexible systems
Annualized hours
Multi-skilling
Outsourcing
Temporary employees and short-term contracts
Page 14

15. Introducing flexible
working
Page 15

16. Introducing flexible working
Involve members of the work teams in the
planning for the scheme
Monitor and evaluate
Get feedback from employees on a regular basis
Communicate the successes of the scheme to
employees regularly
Celebrate and recognize success
Page 16

17. Potential contributions
from HR
Page 17

18. Potential contributions from HR
1 of 2
Providing management information on staffing
costs
Leading contract change negotiations
Researching alternative forms of flexibility and
their impact
Providing management information on employee
availability and preferences over shift patterns
Page 18

19. Potential contributions from HR
2 of 2
Tying flexible working preferences to reward
packages
Up to date guidance on the current position
regarding health & safety
Sharing best practice with diverse business units
and sharing the lessons learned
Page 19

20. Concerns typically raised
by employees
Page 20

21. Concerns typically raised by
employees 1 of 2
Will I be expected to work longer or more unsocial
hours than I currently do?
Will I get the right technological support?
What will be the tax implications as a result of the
change?
Am I insured for company property on my own
premises?
Page 21

22. Concerns typically raised by
employees 2 of 2
How will I be communicated with and kept up to
date with things when I am not around?
How will I be able to maintain the level of social
contact that I currently enjoy at work?
Page 22

23. Questions to ask when
preparing to work flexibly
Page 23

24. Questions to ask when
preparing to work flexibly 1 of 2
How, where and by whom will flexible workers be
supported?
How are those working flexibly to be monitored
and appraised?
How will administrative issues like expenses be
dealt with?
What are the insurance, security and health &
safety considerations?
Page 24

25. Questions to ask when
preparing to work flexibly 2 of 2
Have the legal issues been considered and
covered?
Page 25

26. Challenges employers may
encounter
Page 26

27. Challenges employers may
encounter
Overcoming concerns about operational pressures
and meeting customer requirements
Line managers‘ current ability to manage flexible
working effectively
Line managers‘ current attitudes toward flexible
working
The existing organizational culture
A lack of support at senior levels
Page 27

28. Typical groups who seek
flexible working
Page 28

29. Typical groups who seek flexible
working
Labour market returners
Carers
Older employees
Downshifters
Multiple career ‗portfolio workers‘
Page 29

30. Effective implementation
of flexible working
Page 30

31. Effective implementation of
flexible working 1 of 3
Establish a clear process for how flexible working
works in the organization
Ensure that there are clear roles and
responsibilities for employees, line managers and
HR
Assess the current levels of support offered to line
managers and ensure it is sufficient
Invest in ongoing communication and awareness
raising
Page 31

32. Effective implementation of
flexible working 2 of 3
Assess how conducive the organization culture is
to flexible working – and take action accordingly
Make use of pilots (when introducing new
initiatives) and trial periods (for individual flexible
working arrangements) in order to highlight
potential problems with flexible working
arrangements
Build in opportunities and mechanisms to monitor
and evaluate progress with flexible working
Page 32

33. Effective implementation of
flexible working 3 of 3
STAGES TO FOLLOW
Feasibility study
Prepare the business case
Pilot approach
Page 33

34. Categories of flexible
working arrangements
Page 34

35. Categories of flexible working
arrangements
Schedule flexibility
Location flexibility
Page 35

36. Measuring the success of
flexible working
Page 36

37. Measuring the success of
flexible working
Cost savings in schemes such as annualized hours
or outsourcing
Employee satisfaction surveys
Absence rates
Attrition rates
Employee take-up of family-friendly schemes
Page 37

38. Benefits of flexible
working
Page 38

39. Benefits of flexible working
1 of 2
Assisting in recruitment efforts
Enhancing worker morale
Managing employee attendance and reducing
absenteeism
Improving retention of talent
Reducing the tangible and intangible costs of
resignations and terminations
Increasing the net income of workers
Page 39

40. Benefits of flexible working
2 of 2
Boosting productivity
Creating a better work/life balance for employees
Increasing the supply of suitable labour through
outreach to persons who would not have applied
for employment but for the flexible work
arrangements
Minimizing harmful impact on the environment
Effective and efficient client delivery
Page 40

41. Challenges faced by
management
Page 41

42. Challenges faced by
management 1 of 2
Keeping programs relevant to employees‘ real
needs
Focusing on the unique needs of specific groups of
employees without creating a second class of
employees and without engaging in unlawful
disparate treatment or disparate impact
discrimination
Page 42

43. Challenges faced by
management 2 of 2
Communicating broadly to achieve the benefits of
flexible work arrangements-communicate with
workers to identify their needs, and communicate
with them about the programs adopted
Exercising caution when eliminating a program
that isn‘t working or is no longer relevant to
enough workers-any loss of a benefit can impair
morale, even if only a few workers had used it
Page 43

44. Change management
Page 44

45. Change management
POTENTIAL TROUBLE SPOTS
Upper management‘s resistance to change
Control issues, especially in terms of supervision of
work
Working as a team with far-flung members and
highly variant schedules
Maintaining safety and security of personnel and
data
Page 45

46. Teleworking
Page 46

47. Teleworking 1 of 5
Regular
Brief
Temporary or emergency
Page 47

48. Teleworking 2 of 5
NEGATIVES FOR EMPLOYEES
Being out of the day-to-day flow of information
Being away from the hub of activity in terms of
office politics, management and intellectual
ferment
Page 48

49. Teleworking 3 of 5
NEGATIVES FOR EMPLOYEES
A negative impact on career advancement
employee who is not as productive as a
telecommuter—but is readily available for
whatever comes up at the moment—is more likely
to be put on the fast track simply because that
employee is visible
Page 49

50. Teleworking 4 of 5
NEGATIVES FOR EMPLOYEES
Distraction by spouse, children, pets and others in
the workspace
A heightened feeling of being ―owned‖ by the
organization, in that the company now has a
virtual presence in the employee‘s home
Page 50

51. Teleworking 5 of 5
DOWNSIDES OR EXTRA EFFORT FOR EMPLOYERS
Establishing set expectations, trust and unique
methods of evaluation to lead from a distance
The need to adopt strategies and procedures
attuned to management of telecommuting workers
Dealing with workers disgruntled because they are
not permitted to telecommute
Page 51

52. Managing remote working
Page 52

53. Managing remote working
Be selective
Relate remotely
Tailor the talk
Foster team spirit
Learn to trust
Train workers…
…and train managers
Appraise for results
Emphasize the upside
Page 53

54. Case study A
Page 54

55. Case study A
Page 55

56. Case study B
Page 56

57. Case study B
Page 57

58. Conclusion and questions
Page 58

59. Conclusion and questions
Summary
Videos
Questions
Page 59