Will You Incorporate Flexible Working Into Your Offer For 2019?

We’re all getting in much-needed wind-down mode after another busy year but for employers and businesses, the 2019 planning is well and truly underway. 

Budgets will have been signed off, new roles and hires planned and job descriptions underway and here at Daisy Chain, we wanted to ask the employers / HR teams if your hiring plans for 2019 incorporate flexible roles? And if not, why not?

Through a great year of placing wonderfully talented individuals with a need for flexible working with our great employers, we have received nothing but positive feedback about the matching from both sides. There is no doubt about it – offering flexible working as employers have huge benefits and attract the best talent. 

The infamous work/life balance is – thankfully – shifting. A lot of the most forward-thinking companies are realising that their staff don’t need to be sitting at a desk from 9-5, Monday to Friday to be the most productive and that focused work in fewer hours often leads to more productivity. 

The recent experiment by a company in New Zealand  (The Guardian.com New Zealand employees try four-day week) showcased a four day week (with employees getting paid for five) and saw a substantially increased level of productivity and staff happiness due to giving staff an extra day to help with childcare and life in general, and this initiative, we are happy to see, has now been implemented permanently. 

It seems that focused work is the preferred work rather than the full-time working week littered with ‘water cooler moments’ and wasted time and energy. Let’s all be honest, when we’re in full-time employment, we are not 100% productive all of the time – there is a lot of wasted time but still employers want to physically see you there even if you aren’t being productive. However, when people are given a set timeframe to achieve their workload and it seems it will be done. 

At Daisy Chain, we have a long list of wonderful men and women who are looking for flexible work. Often, they are parents looking to return to work and find the childcare balance, both time and cost-wise, as well as people that prefer to work flexibly. They are all super talented, have often come from a hugely skilled background and are looking to use their knowledge and skill set in a new role with employers that understand the necessity for flexibility. 

For 2019, here at Daisy Chain, we are committed to recruiting more like-minded employers and changing the perception of some that are, shall we say, set in their ways (not mentioning any names!). It can be frustrating to experience companies that are not open to the benefits of flexible working and we have found that sadly their reasons resonate in a place of fear and trust – that they cannot relinquish control of their workforce and feel that productivity would suffer. We, respectfully, disagree: give your staff the trust and benefits of flexibility and we are sure they will work harder and smarter. 

We would love to hear from potential employers that we could feature on Daisy Chain – is this you or someone you know? Please do get in touch and here’s to a wonderfully flexible 2019!