For many working parents and those who fit study alongside their work commitments, it is currently the school holidays and we’ve taken the opportunity to catch up with Paul Giuffrida, Trilby Misso’s HR Advisor to learn more about the importance of flexible working.
Thanks for joining us Paul. Why has flexible working become such a hot topic?
I think as people lives become more hectic and their personal and family circumstances are continually changing, it’s critical that organisations offer flexible working arrangements and promote a good work life balance particularly given the increasingly strong link between the provision of flexible working and high performing organisations.
Thanks Paul, what sort of organisational benefits can businesses expect to see after adopting flexible working practices?
There are a number of organisational benefits. You are likely to notice improvements in your ability to attract and retain top talent which in turn reduces recruitment costs. In addition employee morale, motivation and satisfaction is likely to improve which again will improve attraction and retention strategies but also help reduce absenteeism. All of which are likely to have a positive impact on your organisation’s bottom line.
Can you expand on this?
Research shows that employees are searching for employers who are serious about providing flexible working arrangements and encouraging a healthy work life balance. In addition as a flexible organisation you are more likely to retain your top performers and witness an increased return rate from parental leave. Similarly allowing staff to complete and undertake their role within the hours and environment that is most accommodating to their circumstances will increase staff morale, motivation and overall satisfaction and this is likely to lead to a drop in sick leave and unplanned absences too. Being an organisation that fosters and encourages flexible working arrangements also provides a real opportunity to be seen as an Employer of Choice. This image will reflect positively in the labour market and will expand your talent pools giving you a real competitive advantage. Establishing yourself as an organisation that people want to work for reduces your dependence on costly recruitment agencies to seek skilled people for those hard to fill positions.
What flexible working practices does Trilby Misso Lawyers offer its staff?
Here at Trilby Misso, we support our staff with job sharing, remote access, 12 weeks paid maternity leave, paternity leave, flexible working hours and compressed weeks. We understand that people are very busy in their day to day lives so where possible we provide staff with the option to work job share and work on a part-time basis. In addition to this we offer some staff remote access which allows them to login to our network and systems and complete their work in an environment and a time that is most convenient to them. We also offer 12 weeks paid maternity leave for staff that have been here 12 months and 3 weeks paid paternity leave for the male staff. Another flexible practice we offer staff is the option to work flexible hours, staff may wish to start earlier and finish earlier or vice versa, staff can also look at the option of working a compressed week or a 9 day fortnight.
Great, thanks for the update.
Trilby Misso Lawyers 