Last year, new flexible working laws officially came into effect in the United Kingdom, giving employees the statutory right to request flexible working hours from day one of employment.

We spoke to Michelle Wood, Head of Workforce Development at Leeds Hospitals Charity about why the charity has chosen to champion flexible working.

The charity recognised, following the pandemic that they had the ability to give employees more opportunities to work flexibly.

In May 2022, the HR team conducted a survey of 47 staff members, asking questions around preferences of where they worked and whether they were interested in flexible working patterns like a 9 day fortnight or a compressed week.

Six months after this in November 2022, the charity first introduced a three-month flexible working trial for employees, Michelle told us:

“We had already been having conversations with our Executive team about flexible working options, and we accelerated our plans to offer this to all employees following the coronavirus pandemic. It was important for us to empower our staff to take control of their working patterns following a time when they didn’t have control of much else. Our IT team had set us all up to be able to work productively from home and this opened our eyes to the possibility of changing our approach.”

“The charity has always been passionate about taking measures to show our commitment and support to our hardworking employees. Our first step was to put out a survey to gather responses from colleagues on flexible working options. The results of this were overwhelming positive and really highlighted that many employees were interested in the prospect of flexible working patterns.”

25 colleagues chose to participate in the trial, and after positive feedback from colleagues, 23 made the decision to make their flexible hours permanent. There are now 43 staff members who work flexible hours which accounts for over 57% of the charity’s workforce.

The charity offers a variety of flexible working patterns, from a nine-day fortnight, to a four-day compressed week, and gives employees the option to work some of their hours in the evenings or change their working hours during the school holidays. 

The charity conducts staff survey’s twice a year and has seen incredibly positive feedback in relation to flexible working, with a total of 95% employees citing they are happy with the flexible working options offered.

Michelle told us why the charity now gives all prospective and existing employees the opportunity to work flexible hours:

“Flexible working isn’t just about giving employees the opportunity to work from home or part-time, it’s about making flexible working available for all our colleagues. This could be a mum or dad who needs to pick the kids up from the school run, an employee living with a long-term health condition, or even simply for an employee who wants to finish earlier to run some errands or attend a gym class.

“We have seen first-hand through our flexible working patterns how colleagues have noticed improved health and wellbeing, productivity at work, and been able to achieve a better life balance, all of which contribute to overall satisfaction at work.”

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Testimonials from staff members

“Working flexibly allows me to manage my mental health while staying productive. I’m most efficient when I can work in a way that suits my needs, and having control over my space and schedule makes a massive difference to my output. Living in a rural area, flexibility also lets me worry less about the time commuting and more about creating good work.”

• Communications team member

 

“After the birth of my first daughter I knew I would be looking to reduce my hours from full time so that I could spend every Friday with her. I thought this would mean working a 4-day week, but the beauty of flexible working means I have only had to reduce my hours by 10%. I now work regular office hours Monday-Friday and make up the additional hours one evening a week. Financially this has been a game changer and means I get to continue doing the job I love at almost full capacity whilst also spending this special time with my daughter.”

• Volunteer team member

 

“I work flexibly doing 10 days in 9. It works great for me because the extra working hours in the day don't really change my normal routine, but having a long weekend, every other week is so amazing. A lot of my family and friends live far away from me, so it makes seeing them much easier when I have an extra day in the weekend. it's definitely been beneficial for my work life balance and gives me more opportunity to properly switch off from work and means that when I am working I am more motivated.”

• Individual Giving team member

 

“It’s fantastic to work for an organisation that trusts you and focuses on what you’ve achieved rather than hours present in an office. I can go between the office and home, fitting in taking the children to school, school performances and other family duties. Working full time with a young family is still a juggle, but a flexible working pattern really helps. I work a compressed fortnight and having the 10th day off to get a long run or swim in, do life admin, see friends and just catch my breath is so lovely. And if I’m needed in on that day, I can swap it giving me a run of Fridays off!”

• Grants team member