Employers ‘shooting themselves in the foot’ as number of job ads offering flexible working stagnates

Summary

The Flexible Jobs Index 2023 report has found that 31% of jobs advertised in the UK include options to work flexibly as an employee benefit, a 1% rise from last year. Despite employee expectations of flexibility in their next role, the number of job adverts offering flexibility has stagnated. Experts claim that employers are "shooting themselves in the foot" by not offering flexible working opportunities, and the divide between sectors is clear, with office-based roles much more likely to have flexible options available. The government has announced new legislation aimed at protecting employees' right to flexible working, but experts suggest that employers should approach jobs as flexible by default to better meet the needs of job seekers.

Q&As

AI Comments

👍 This article outlines the positive benefits of flexible working, such as attracting a wider and diverse pool of talent, and reducing costs for organisations. It also provides helpful guidance to employers to make flexible working actually work.

👎 The report found that the number of job ads offering flexibility has only risen by 1 per cent year on year, despite employee expectations of hybrid options. This shows that employers are not meeting the demands of job seekers, which could lead to employee disengagement.

AI Discussion

Me: It talks about the number of job ads offering flexible working and how it has only increased by 1 per cent year on year, despite the talent drought and growing employee expectations of hybrid options. It seems like employers are not taking advantage of the opportunity to offer flexible working options and it could be shooting themselves in the foot.

Friend: That's really interesting. It's definitely concerning that employers aren't doing more to meet employee expectations. It makes sense that they should be offering flexible working options if they want to attract and retain top talent.

Me: Exactly. It's also concerning that there's a divide between sectors when it comes to flexible working. It seems like office-based roles have more options, while other roles have either fewer or none.

Friend: Yeah, that's definitely an issue. It's unfortunate that many employers are still resistant to the idea of offering flexible working. It's something they should be embracing, especially in this economy.

Action items

• Review your current job postings to ensure they are clear and specific about the flexible working options available.
• Develop a flexible working policy that outlines the different types of flexible working arrangements available and the process for requesting them.
• Invest in training for managers on how to effectively manage flexible working arrangements and ensure they are aware of the legal requirements.

Technical terms

Flexible Working

A type of working arrangement that allows employees to vary their hours, days, or location of work.

Job Adverts

A public announcement or advertisement of a job opening.

Employee Benefit

A type of compensation provided to employees in addition to their salary, such as health insurance, vacation time, or retirement plans.

Skills Shortages

A situation in which there is a lack of qualified people to fill available jobs.

Hybrid Working

A type of working arrangement that combines remote and on-site work.

CIPD

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a professional body for those working in human resources and people development.

HR

Human Resources, a department within an organization responsible for managing personnel.

Job Sharing

A type of flexible working arrangement in which two or more people share the responsibilities of a single job.

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