Where do you stand on flexible working arrangements?

Here at Hay Hampers we’re already sold on the many benefits to both businesses and employees, and many of our staff are working mums (or grandmas!) who are able to adjust their hours and days to suit their home schedule.

Research conducted by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) in 2017 looked at location and time flexibility, and found that in both cases it increased personal and team effectiveness, with flexible workers more likely to help out colleagues and to demonstrate greater commitment to the organisation. The workers and the managers interviewed testified to this effect, saying “they are extremely focused - more so than teams that don’t have the flexible working approach.” They did, however, highlight the importance of “being flexible with flexibility” in order to meet business needs.

One managing director explained, “I am happy that they leave at four o’clock, but that is on the understanding that if something urgent is happening that they would actually stay."