Flexible Working in the manufacturing industry –can it work?
What does the term flexible working mean to you?
It can mean different things to different people, especially employers, and in the last year, I’ve heard most of the interpretations. These include “We allow our employees to start work at 9.15 am”, “We offer staggered start and finish times”, “We already offer hybrid working practices”, or “We offer split shifts”. These are all great places to start but there is so much more we can do.
Many employers think that if they offer flexible working conditions, everyone will want them and everyone will want the same;- to work condensed hours or start later in the day, or head home early to pick up the kids from school and finish their working day once the kids have gone to bed, but this isn’t true and in fact, can mean the opposite. As long as the process is a fair and consistent one, workers generally don’t mind that their colleagues may work differently from them. Put simply, flexible working is a phrase that describes a working pattern that suits a person’s needs. It’s an arrangement; a way of working, and we shouldn’t make assumptions about what people want, we should ask them or ask what would work for them and take it from there. The pandemic highlighted the need for a better work-life balance and brought personal well-being to the forefront for many people but it’s not always easy to offer flexible working hours or a ‘work from home’ option if you’re not an office-based worker or organisation.
Flexible working empowers the employee and provides choice, within reason and where possible. This choice can help employees manage a more healthy and sustainable work-life balance providing benefits to both the employer and employee. These can include increased job satisfaction and therefore increased productivity and loyalty and it can help to reduce stress - employers should want a happy, engaged, and healthy workforce. Through flexible working, you can also recruit and retain a diverse workforce from your local community and gain access to a wealth of untapped talent. You can create a positive culture within your organisation, creating a ‘sense of belonging and understanding’. You can more closely align with your company’s values, and of course, you can demonstrate leadership within your industry – show other employers what you are doing and encourage them to follow suit. Times have changed in the last few years, especially in relation to recruitment and retention and in a recent study by Nine Twenty Recruitment, 61% of job seekers between the ages of 18 and 34 said they “would not apply for or accept a job that impacts their work-life balance”. On the other hand, the recent increases in the cost of living have resulted in a number of those who had retired seeking a return to the workplace – unretirement. Add these returners to those jobseekers with caring responsibilities, and you get a huge amount of people with a wealth of experience but who are looking for flexible, part-time opportunities.
Over the last year, I’ve spent a lot of time engaging with local businesses creating progressive recruitment models including school hour and term time roles in the care sector and the implementation of a streamlined recruitment process within a local authority, specifically aimed at supporting and fast-tracking lone parents, one of the six key priority groups identified as being at a higher risk of child poverty, into part-time, flexible and sustainable employment. To date, we have had 19 parents who have successfully interviewed for and accepted offers of employment from 5 different employers, some of which have been for roles these employers were struggling to fill. But whilst we are really starting to see some positive outcomes, we need to be engaging with more employers in different industries.
There are a number of manufacturing businesses across Fife (big and small), providing employment to a large number of people but there’s not a lot of flexibility offered, and conversations with some of these employers haven’t gone so well so far:- “We can’t offer flexibility as we employ workers on a shift basis”, “We can’t offer flexibility as we’re a global organization so it’s not up to us” and lastly, “We don’t offer flexible working as our workers are required to be on-site and can’t work from home”. Whilst some of these reasons may seem valid, there is an element of flexibility that can be offered. Glenrothes-based employer, Pitreavie Packaging, has embraced flexible working. Managing Director, Stephen Heslop, said:
“At Pitreavie, we have a very flexible approach to our employment practices which we clearly recognise has real value to us as the employer in terms of staff retention, job satisfaction, and commitment. We have for some time employed several lone parents that on occasion, require a greater level of flexibility than other members of staff. As a result of our approach, which is greatly appreciated by the staff, we also see the benefits being returned when workloads increase and extra effort and input are required.”
Another example of flexibility working in manufacturing is at Volvo. Whilst they’re not a Fife-based business, Volvo has implemented flexible working practices for production workers at their Motherwell-based site. This includes a four-day working week and the reduction from a thirty-seven hour week to a thirty-six hour week with hours worked Monday to Thursday. Friday’s had been shorter days and research showed that there didn’t tend to be much output on a Friday. After a change to the four-day week, output levels remained the same and workers were happier to have a long weekend! It is important to note that the four-day week was not inclusive of all staff, however. Office-based staff remain on a five-day week contract with alternative flexible working arrangements in place.
In another example, an electrical engineering organisation, based in North Lanarkshire, adopted a ‘growth mindset’ since the pandemic. Realising that they had an aging workforce, many of whom had started to enquire about reducing hours and a number of employees with caring responsibilities who also wanted to look at more flexible working possibilities, this employer introduced flexi-time for his staff with core hours which meant they could start their shifts a little later or finish a little earlier, so long as they worked their contracted hours. They also introduced hybrid working where possible and offered compressed hours. Not one request for flexible working has yet been refused and they acknowledge that “one size does not fit all but small changes can make a really big difference”.
So, flexible working practices can clearly be implemented in some form, regardless of the sector, so, what are some of the changes you can make? As well as the ideas in the examples above, here are some other things you can consider:
Offering ‘annualised’ hours – hours that are worked out over a full year and often in set shifts with the employee deciding when to work the other hours
Compressed hours – working agreed hours over fewer days e.g. a nine-day fortnight
Staggered hours – different start and finish times for employees in the same workplace
Job share – employing two people for one job but working different hours
Remote or Hybrid working – where the employee works part of or all of their hours from home (more common in office or community-based roles)
Providing advanced notice of shifts – plan ahead and allow your employees to do the same
Create reliable and predictable shift patterns – this can allow individuals to have more control over their lives outside the workplace
Get to know your team – build a better understanding of your employee’s personal circumstances. This can assist you in offering working practices that will actually work
Make it easy for staff to swap shifts
Consider letting your teams create or input into their rotas? This may be considered as ‘out there’ but can be productive. Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS implemented a self-rostering system and as a result, absenteeism has been reduced, staff are happier and generally healthier, and there has been a reduction in the use of bank staff so there is a positive economic impact too
Encourage empathy, and understanding in line managers – feeling able to talk openly and honestly to your line manager often ensures productivity and getting the best from their teams
Employers can help create a better work-life balance for their employees, which will help them retain good workers, helping them to feel happier and more engaged in the workplace, leading to increased productivity. It’s a win-win situation!
If you would like to talk about flexible working practices within your organisation, get in touch with Lyndsey Thomson, Project Coordinator, Lone Parents, Poverty & Work, at Lyndsey.thomson@fifegingerbread.org.uk