Why do we need flexible working The Case

Why do we need flexible working? The Case for Flexible Working Rachel Skinner, President Women’s Transportation Seminar London

Demographic and Social Trends ØCurrent trends: Ø In 2008, there were more pensioners (65+) than children (<16) in the UK Ø Average of first time mothers: 28 Ø Average family size: 1. 8 children Ø 47% of the workforce is female (rising to 48% by 2012) Ø By 2010: just 20% of workforce will be white, non-disabled men <45 years working full time Ø DWP suggests that 80% of current workforce growth is women Source: work foundation

Demographic and Social Trends - 2021 and Beyond ØFuture predictions: Ø By 2021: Ø 12 m people will be over 65 - up to 10 m people will be carers Ø 44% of the female workforce will work part-time (compared with 11% of the male workforce) Ø By 2030: Ø 25% of the population will be single parent families Ø 20% of the workforce will be mothers Source: work foundation

Construction Industry Needs in Greater London Growth generated by Olympics, Crossrail, Thameslink, M 25 widening, tube upgrades, Thames Gateway growth area etc London construction sector overview 25% 4. 1 20% 4 2. 8 3 1 2. 2 10. 5% 2 15% 10% 8. 2% 0. 7 1. 1 0. 9 1. 1 5% 1. 2% 0. 3 0 0% Public housing Private housing Infrastructure Source: Office of Government Commerce, Jan 2009 Public nonhousing New work Industrial -0. 8% Commercial -2. 3% Housing -0. 2% Non-housing 1. 1% Repairs & maintenance (2009 -2013) Infrastructure construction growth is five times higher than the average across all sectors 5 Output Growth Annual average growth % Current construction output (£bn) Current output and projected growth

UK Transport Resources - Demand & Supply Estimates 2007 -2013 112 2007 110 2013 105 100 96. 9 Nos of People (000’s) 95 90 87. 4 85 83 75 72. 9 Demand Supply 70 65 60. 7 60 54. 5 55 25 52. 4 22. 8 20. 3 20 18 15. 8 16. 8 14. 7 15 All Transport Planning Source: Project Brunel Industry Report – Final Jan 2009 16. 5 14. 0 Highways Engineering Railway Engineering All Transport Planning Highways Engineering Railway Engineering

Key Demographics (Source – ECUK 2008) 6

Why flexible working? Ø People want flexibility for different reasons, e. g. Ø Parenting Ø Caring for older relatives Ø Studying Ø Reducing hours around retirement Ø Work in the community Ø People want flexibility over time and space Ø Research shows a preference for: Ø variable working hours, while ensuring their job is done Ø a combination of workplace and home working Source: Work Foundation

Who benefits? Ø Flexible working can benefit both women and men Ø In recent years, women who leave or languish in the workplace can be likened to “the canaries in the coal mine, the first and most conspicuous casualties of an out-dated, dysfunctional career model” Patricia Fili-krushel, Executive Vice President of Administration, Time Warner

Work/Life Balance Benefits: a Case Study Ø Steve Newman, Environmental Team Leader in Mouchel's Brighton office and retained fire-fighter “Most of the time my fire-fighting doesn’t conflict with my work, but there are times when I get called out. . and may be out for much of the day at an incident” Ø Steve has negotiated a contract with fixed yet flexible hours Ø The company also benefits from Steve’s skills and training Ø e. g. as a qualified risk assessor, he trains for work colleagues

Retention Benefits: a Case Study Ø Staff turnover costs £ 7, 750 per employee, rising to £ 11, 000 for senior managers (CIPD average) Ø Even in a downturn, employers need to retain skilled staff to retain their competitiveness Ø BT Business Case Ø Implemented a flexible working strategy: ‘Freedom to Work’ Ø Staff turnover has dropped to just 3% per year Ø UK average is 22. 6% (private sector) and 13. 7% (public sector) Ø 99% of BT’s female employees return to work after maternity leave Ø UK average is 47% Ø This level of retention saves BT an estimated £ 5 m per year

Employee satisfaction & productivity benefits ØPeople who work flexibly are more emotionally engaged and satisfied CIPD Research Ø 70 million working days are lost each year for mental health reasons; employees say that 1 in 7 of these are due to stress and depression directly caused by work or working conditions Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health study on Mental Health in the Workplace ØProductivity of BT home workers has steadily risen since 1998, by as much as 30% in some years BT Ø 89% of workers agreed that “having more choice in working arrangements improves workplace morale” DTI

Current good practice Examples identified in WTS London Workshop – January 2008 Ø Ø Ø Ø Revisit the job definition – does it really need to be full-time with fixed hours? Analyse the business needs and find out what works Get senior level buy-in, then lead by example Educate HR teams and line managers in good practice Articulate the business benefits, using best practice examples Have pragmatic discussions with employees – what is (and what is not) possible Build in performance objectives to meet demands and agreed targets Source: Work/Life Balance: Work/Life Choices WTS London

In summary “Flexibility is one of the elements of the overall model of work that has the greatest potential for opening up choices for individuals, improving employee engagement and, if other conditions are met, improving productivity. ” Transforming Work – Research report by the Work Foundation