Will this
legislation work? Perhaps. Though on my recent experience the UK government
still have to convince at least some employers and HR professionals that this
legislation is a good thing.
A couple of
weeks ago I was at a business lunch for HR managers (the attendees were mostly
from medium sized companies) which was hosted by a Law Firm. One of the
employment lawyers spoke about this pending legislation and I found it
interesting to observe the reaction in the room. It was decidedly cold. One
lady made a joke about ‘being able to go more shopping’. That was the positive
comment. Another two meanwhile made comments along the lines of “not telling
their staff” (about the new legislation!) and “this would release the
floodgates”. I sat there bemused and once again found myself rolling my eyes at
how backward looking many in the HR profession are.
I don’t
know…perhaps I’ve simply spent too much time with technology start-up companies
and I’m losing my sense of ‘the real world’. Though if I am, long may it
continue! I proceeded to offer another view and carefully said that, yes in
certain job roles flexible working could be more difficult to implement, but
that my experience of it has been positive. Only recently I had a chat with a
colleague who told me flexible working (in his case condensed hours) allowed
him to stay with his company for two additional years than he intended to do. He
was able to meet childcare responsibilities but he also said he was no less
productive as a consequence – in fact he was sure he was more motivated and
productive because of it.
But perhaps my
detractors will tell me that such fluffy examples are the exception. So back in
the real world, why can’t more people get on board with the idea of giving
staff a little more freedom or autonomy over their working week?
I can’t help
but conclude that for many it comes down to a simple issue of trust alongside
very engrained and traditional views about what ‘work should be’. It’s a
worrying conclusion not least because the world has changed and is changing.
Furthermore why would you want to work in a workplace dominated by such views?
I certainly wouldn’t. It sounds like my experience of being in the army but
without the cool stuff.
So what’s my
advice? Well for a start don’t treat people like idiots (they will find out
about this new legislation eventually) and don’t be afraid to tell them about
this new legislation. But go a step further…why not embrace it? Why not look at
ways to give people some more flexibility over their working week? Sure –
different job types have their own constraints but I’d wager most employers
could offer at least something. And what will you get in return? As I’ve
written about many times before, people don’t just work for money and in fact
it’s a poor motivator on a day to day basis. The science tells us people do
generally want a sense of autonomy over their lives. If you can provide this
you will help contribute towards a happier workforce. And even the
traditionalists will have heard the old stories about a happy workforce and a
productive workforce…
