HR Industry News

UK bosses fear flexible working

— 30 April 2008 —

UK bosses are fearing for their own jobs because of flexible working, according to a roundtable of employment experts.

The discussion, hosted by BT, revealed that managers feel they may no longer be needed with the rise in people working from their own homes. BT themselves are at the forefront of the flexible working revolution, with 70% of their employees working flexibly, and 13% home-based.

The rise in flexible working has proved popular with many employees, especially in the NHS, where 73% of employees in NHS trusts have taken advantage of flexible working options.

Caroline Waters, director for people and policy at BT, told Personnel Today that “Managers are afraid of losing their status, their big offices and their prestige, HR should be telling managers that they have status because they deliver a service, not because they tell people what to do."

Paul Avis from Ceridian comments, “Employees not attending a physical space in an office does not mean that managers will not be needed, but certainly they will have to adapt to modern working practices and reassess how best to get the most of their people. Benefits for the employees are numerous and productivity can increase dramatically. However, the role of the manager as technical support, getting things done when barriers are hit, providing strategic input and so forth is not that different than their current role. As long as the work gets done on time and on budget, then the manager has achieved his or her goal, so where it gets done should not matter too much to an organisation.”

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