Willmott emphasised the importance of employers staying fully abreast of the situation and taking advice from local police. Awareness of employees’ proximity to trouble spots and their ability to commute is crucial and a corresponding level of flexibility is key, he argued. Allowing staff to work from home should be a definite option and Willmott urged the allowance of "as much flexibility as possible".
The CIPD has been a long-time campaigner for flexible working conditions, one of the areas under review in the Government's ‘Modern Workplaces’ consultation, which closed on Monday. Willmott described the recommended changes to existing flexible working legislation as "light touch regulation" rather than a drastic change.
The changes sought by the CIPD and others would give everyone the right to request flexible working conditions. Currently, only some workers have the statutory right to request a flexible working pattern. In carrying out the Modern Workplaces consultation, the Government is fulfilling the pledge made last May in its joint agreement, The Coalition: Our plan for Government, which stated: "We will extend the right to flexible working to all employees, consulting business on how best to do so."
Sarah Jackson, chief executive of work-life balance organisation Working Families, said: "Far from costing the earth, the simple extension of flexible working rights to all employees could bring real benefits to families and to business. The Consultation on Modern Workplaces Impact Assessment paper suggests the extension of the right to request flexible working will lead to an estimated £222.5 million net benefit to employers: this figure should be widely publicised."
In clarification of the statistic, Henry Tanner, press officer at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, told HR magazine: "Essentially, the £222.5 million figure is worked out using the benefits to business, subtracting subsequent costs, and is taken over a 10-year period."
Stephen Cooke, corporate communications manager at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), told HR magazine a recent CBI/Harvey Nash employment trends report had found “flexible working arrangements are more common in the public sector – where nearly all (97%) employers offer three or more arrangements – than the private sector, where two-thirds (66%) do so".
According to a CBI/Hays report, the private sector increased its flexible working opportunities during the recession, an adjustment partially born out of necessity. Mark Warren, practice group head at international law firm Eversheds, commented: "This flexible response to the recession – which has delivered wage restraint and job preservation through the downturn – shows how much progress we have made."
Elizabeth Gardiner, head of policy at Working Families told HR magazine: "The public sector has led the way" thus far in flexible working. She said Working Families is hoping the current consultation "will lead to a culture change" in attitudes towards flexible working and that “work in Britain in 20 years' time will be significantly different as a result”.
