Flexible working not backed

May 13 2008 Evening Gazette

TEESSIDE has given a big thumbs-down to the idea of extending rights on flexible working to all staff, according to an nebusiness poll.

Only 29% of respondents said all employees should have the right to ask to work from home. Bosses believe forcing employers to accede to every request could put an intolerable burden on small firms in particular.

But they also say companies should, where possible, consider flexible working arrangements to boost staff morale and productivity.

Gary Watson, managing director of recruitment firm New Group, a supplier to Teesport, said: “If there are important dependencies in the business, it may not be practical to allow people to work remotely. However, employers should look to be as flexible as possible.

“Five of our 16 staff are on flexible working arrangements. Changing the start and finish times by 45 minutes has helped them with their childcare arrangements or to beat the rush-hour traffic.”

Current legislation says only parents of young and disabled children and carers of high dependency adults have the statutory right to ask the boss to work from home. But the Government is looking to extend the freedom to parents of older children.

Tony Sarginson, new regional policy executive at manufacturers’ organisation EEF Northern, did not believe the right to request flexible working should not be extended to everyone, although in certain situations it could benefit staff and employers.

He added: “Just because staff are outside of the office, this doesn’t mean they are not working productively.”