A 90-minute virtual session
Flexible working has come to the fore as never before as both business and individuals have sought to adapt how they work in response to Covid-19. The balancing act of ensuring organisations minimise the impact of Covid 19 whilst recognising team and individual employee circumstances is a difficult one.
This virtual session explores the benefits that flexible working brings, factors to consider when implementing a flexible working approach, and how to manage potential challenges. The session focuses on the rights and responsibilities of both employers and employees, giving guidance on resolving individual concerns and covering potential legal risks. The content can be tailored to individual organisations and participant knowledge to ensure maximum relevance.
- Learning from the pandemic
- Knowing the options
- Recognising barriers – organisational, team and individual
- Understanding employers’ legal obligations
- Appreciating employees’ individual rights
- Anticipating the practical challenges
Virtual session outline
1. Welcome, agenda, overview
- Objectives and agenda
2. The context
- Flexible working pre- and post-Covid 19
- Learning and insights
- Moving forward
3. Flexible working in practice
- Bringing employees back to the office (where applicable)
- Flexible working – a broad range of options
- Benefits and challenges
- Getting the right fit for the organisation and for employees
4. Organisational perspective
- How flexible is your organisation?
- How is Covid-19 affecting how you work?
- Short, medium and longer term considerations
- Guidance on designing and implementing new flexible working polices/arrangements
- Identifying practical strategies to support changes to approach
- Overcoming barriers – organisational, team and individual
5. Obligations on the employer
- Health and safety considerations in line with Government guidance
- Consultation with employees
- Focus on physical and mental wellbeing
- Providing support
- Taking a fair, consistent and inclusive approach
- Acting within the law – avoiding discrimination
6. Employee focus
- Employee rights and responsibilities
- Managing employee expectations
- Taking into consideration individual circumstances
- Right to request flexible working
7. Group exercise to consider relevant issues such as:
- Who decides who returns to work?
- What happens when an employee refuses to return to work for personal reasons, eg, vulnerability, anxiety, childcare concerns, commuting fears, etc?
- Considering a flexible working request
- Managing remote and other styles of flexible working
8. Open forum
- Questions and challenges
