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Flexible working

The DTI drives our ambition of‘prosperity for all’ by working tocreate the best environment forbusiness success in the UK.We help people and companiesbecome more productive bypromoting enterprise, innovation and creativity.

We champion UK business at homeand abroad. We invest heavily inworld-class science and technology.We protect the rights of workingpeople and consumers. And westand up for fair and open markets in the UK, Europe and the world.

Achieving best practice in your business is a key

theme within DTI’s approach to business support

solutions, providing ideas and insights into how

you can improve performance across your

business. By showing what works in other

businesses, we can help you see what can help

you, and then support you in implementation.

This brochure focuses on these solutions.

At the centre of any outstanding organisation,whatever its size, you will find its mostimportant and valuable asset – people.

This booklet brings together 50 enlightenedBritish organisations, both large and small, fromacross a wide range of sectors that haveenjoyed real business benefits as a result oftheir modern approach to work-life balance. Italso summarises the package of working parent laws that took effect in April 2003,providing more choice and more support to helpparents balance childcare and work in ways thatbenefit everyone: employers, employees andtheir children.

Over the past decade there has been arevolution in the workplace. Now that womenmake up half the workforce, the relationshipbetween work and family life has altereddramatically and the world of work must catchup. Allowing people to work in a sensible waythat allows them to balance earning a living withlooking after their children is not only good forfamilies and children, it is good for business too.

Over the following pages you will see howflexible working has helped business to improvetheir customer service and performance, reducestaff stress and absenteeism, and savethousands of pounds in recruitment costsbecause their staff are happier.

And size is not a problem. SMEs make up halfthe case studies in this booklet, proving thatfamily friendly working in smaller organisationscan benefit staff, customers and business alike.

This brochure is for: All employers who wantto retain and recruit quality staff and employerand employee representatives, including tradeunions, who advise employers willing to lookpast the traditional way of doing things in orderto maximise the potential of their businesses.

It covers: 50 companies share their experiencesof flexible working. Examples include job-sharing, flexi-time and allowing staff to workfrom home.

01

THE LAW

What happened in April 2003?The Employment Act 2002 introduced new employment legislation specifically tohelp working parents. On 6 April 2003, parents with young and disabled childrengained more choice and more support than ever before to balance childcare andwork in ways that benefit everyone: employers, employees and their children.

Key measuresParents with children aged under six, and disabled children aged under 18, have thelegal right to ask their employers to work flexibly and their employers have toconsider their requests. Through discussion, the employer explores a workingpattern that suits the needs of the individual and the needs of the business.

From 4 April 2004 maternity pay will increase to £102.80 (from £100) a week. Newmothers have six months paid leave and can take another six months unpaid leave.

For the first time ever, new fathers have the right to two weeks paid paternityleave. From 4 April 2004, this will increase to £102.80 (from £100) a week.

Parents who adopt also gained new rights, similar to maternity and paternity payand leave.

The process for maternity, paternity and adoption leave was made simpler to makeit easier for companies to handle applications.

The Government also reimburses around 60% of UK companies, many of themSMEs, for all the maternity, paternity and adoption leave they pay out.

These new laws, together with existing rights to parental leave and time off fordependents, provide parents with more choice to balance work and family life,while being beneficial to business performance.

Half the case studies in this booklet showcase flexible working within SMEs. The SME stamp means that the company featured is a small or medium sizedenterprise (SME) with less than 250 employees. Work-life balance and flexibleworking are relevant issues for companies of all sizes, including SMEs.

02

Contents

MANUFACTURING

03 Acme Whistles (SME)

04 Automated Packaging Systems (SME)

05 BP

06 Bristol Myers Squibb

07 Dutton Engineering (SME)

08 Farrelly Facilities & Engineering (SME)

09 Fox’s Biscuits

10 GlaxoSmithKline

11 Innocent (SME)

12 Listawood (SME)

13 MTM Products (SME)

14 Perfecta (SME)

15 Unilever

COMMUNICATIONS AND TRAVEL

16 BAA

17 BT

18 Cable & Wireless

19 IBM

20 The Irish News (SME)

21 Northbrook Technology

22 P&O Ferries

FINANCE

23 Barclays Bank

24 Cogent Investment Operations

25 Domestic and General

26 HSBC

27 Legal & General

28 Littlejohn Frazer (SME)

29 Lloyds TSB

30 Moore and Smalley (SME)

31 Royal Bank of Scotland Group

32 Royal & SunAlliance

33 Yorkshire Building Society

HOSPITALITY AND RETAIL

34 Asda

35 Beardmore Conference Hotel (SME)

36 Bettys & Taylors

37 Botanic Inns

38 Castle Green Hotel (SME)

39 Evergreen (SME)

40 McCormacks (Music) (SME)

41 Marks and Spencer

42 Park Hotel Tenby (SME)

43 Peebles Hydro Hotel and Leisure

Complex (SME)

44 Sainsbury’s

45 Secrets (SME)

46 Wilts Wholesale Electrical Co

BUSINESS SERVICES

47 Aricot Vert Design (SME)

48 Base Connections (SME)

49 Bindman and Partners (SME)

50 Happy Computers (SME)

51 Market Monitor (SME)

52 The Training Exchange (SME)

Acme Whistles (SME)

Acme Whistles in Birmingham has become popular with job hunters,

attracted by the company’s positive approach to work-life balance issues.

And in a very tight labour market, where recruitment is difficult, Acme is

saving on advertising costs.

Chief Executive Simon Topman is convinced that the company’s flexibleworking practices are critical to this high level of staff retention andrecruitment, and offers different packages to meet individual staffrequirements.

The workforce is ethnically diverse with many more women than men,and the work-life balance policies reflect this mix. Hours can be adjustedto fit in with family commitments, and flexible job routines have beenintroduced, both within and across departments, to make sure all workand hours are covered.

This has led to an increase in the skills base and so widened the companypool of resources. The company has saved £3,000 over the last 12 monthsas its reputation for flexible working spreads. Staff retention is excellent,and many wait to retire rather than leave to go to another job – againsaving valuable recruitment money.

Sector: Manufacturing

Size of firm: 50

Location: West Midlands

Website: www.acmewhistles.co.uk

03

Acme Whistles (SME)

“Acme has found that flexible working practicescan not only help fulfil the workforce expectations,but play a vital role in the retention and recruitment of staff.”Simon Topman, Chief Executive

Acme Whistles in Birmingham has become popular with job hunters,

attracted by the company’s positive approach to work-life balance issues.

And in a very tight labour market, where recruitment is difficult, Acme is

saving on advertising costs.

Chief Executive Simon Topman is convinced that the company’s flexibleworking practices are critical to this high level of staff retention andrecruitment, and offers different packages to meet individual staffrequirements.

The workforce is ethnically diverse with many more women than men,and the work-life balance policies reflect this mix. Hours can be adjustedto fit in with family commitments, and flexible job routines have beenintroduced, both within and across departments, to make sure all workand hours are covered.

This has led to an increase in the skills base and so widened the companypool of resources. The company has saved £3,000 over the last 12 monthsas its reputation for flexible working spreads. Staff retention is excellent,and many wait to retire rather than leave to go to another job – againsaving valuable recruitment money.


Size of firm: 50


Website: www.acmewhistles.co.uk

04

Automated Packaging Systems (SME)

“Recruitment is becoming easier and costing usless. We now have the employment agenciescalling us, because they have people asking them ifwe have vacancies.”Paul Hayden, Marketing and Commercial Manager

The whole philosophy at Automated Packaging Systems (APS) – from top

management to the factory floor – is to organise around high-performing

teams. Everyone knows what they have to deliver – it’s up to the teams

to decide when and how they deliver it.

Offering a package of work-life benefits to employees has helped APS toattract and retain staff in an area of high employment, and has had theknock-on effect of reducing absenteeism.

Among the benefits for APS employees are ‘banked hours’. This is wherestaff members can store up a number of hours worked, which can then betaken off to meet domestic or other commitments, or simply to take aholiday. Other policies include flexible working hours, provision ofchildcare information, help with childcare transport and time off to carefor dependents.

One beneficiary of the APS philosophy is a single parent, who was able totake five months off to care for her son who was receiving treatment forcancer. “I was able give my son the full-time care that he needed withoutfeeling any pressure to come into work, or even having to considerleaving,” she says.

Looking at almost any aspect of the company – from high rates of staffretention and year-on-year growth in the company’s turnover, to anabsenteeism rate of 1.5% in 2001, down from 1.9% in 2000 – it is clear thatthe APS philosophy works.


Size of firm: 94


Website: www.autobag.co.uk

05

BP

“Offering a wide range of supportive work-life andflexible working practices enables employees tomake choices about the way they work which suitboth the business needs and personal lifestyles.”Marion Hansen, HR Adviser, BP plc

With more than 18,000 employees in the UK and 100,000 across the

globe, BP recognises the importance of helping their staff to balance their

career and home life responsibilities. The priority for the oil company is

to create an environment that properly values its employees.

The website workchoices was launched in September 2002, with the aimof widely promoting the raft of benefits on offer for all of BP’s UK-basedemployees. In addition, workchoices provides easy access to a range ofsupport tools aimed at both managers and staff.

BP’s belief that the desire for better work-life balance is not simply aboutwomen with children or reducing the number of hours worked, butsomething that everyone can embrace – irrespective of age or gender – isreflected by the wealth of work-life balance programmes available toemployees.

The initiatives include managing flexible working workshops, a generousmaternity package, paid paternity and adoption leave, enhanced parentalleave, career breaks, the option to work from home or work a compressedweek, and employee support workshops. These workshops includesessions for fathers and parenting education courses at some sites.

The workshops for fathers are extremely well attended, with around 20taking part at each session. Over a hundred men have attended over thepast two years.

The company appreciates that managers, too, have a critical role to playin the successful implementation of innovative working practices. Ittherefore provides them with additional support and training in managingthe more complex array of working patterns.


Size of firm: 18,000

Location: Nationwide

Website: www.bp.com

06

Bristol Myers Squibb

“Since the integration of work-life practices intothe overall compensation and benefits package,we’ve seen a boost in recruitment and retention.” Alison Maitland, Compensation and Benefits Director

Flexible working has had a positive impact on employee loyalty and

improved performance at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS).

The objective was to retain staff because in the past, people who wantedto work only in term time, for example, would have moved to acompetitor.

So the company adopted initiatives including a standard request processfor flexible working, paid adoption leave, a childcare and eldercarehelpline service, reduced hours and term-time working for field-basedemployees, work-life resources online and a career break pilot scheme.

Field-based staff turnover has been much reduced since the launch of thisflexible working programme in 2000.

Employee reaction has been very positive, and the re-packaging ofexisting benefits into the work-life framework has shown staff – bothactual and potential – the benefits of working for the company.

Alison Maitland, Compensation and Benefits Director says: “People areour greatest asset at BMS and with an estimated £30,000 cost for eachfield-based employee who leaves the company, our flexible compensationand benefits package aims to reinforce a culture of flexibility andcommitment to our company.”


Size of firm: 1,700

Location: North West

Website: www.bms.com

07

Dutton Engineering (SME)

“98% of the most successful organisations in theworld work in teams. They provide an effectiveframework within which to introduce flexibleworking patterns.” Andrew Reed, Managing Director

Changing to annualised hours has maximised efficiency at steel

manufacturer Dutton Engineering.

Its 50 staff are contracted to work 1,770 hours a year, with a reserve of160 hours to cover sickness, medical appointments, rework and peakproduction.

Working hours are determined by customer demand, with the onlyrequirement that teams deliver products to the customer on time and tohigh quality.

As long as the core hours are maintained, operatives can take anafternoon off to spend with their family. Because of this improved work-life balance, employees feel valued and trusted, paying dividends for thecompany in terms of a more contented workforce.

“The difference in performance has been incredible,” says founder KenLewis. “Efficiency leapt up beyond all our expectations. Our teams arenow not only facing in the same direction; they are focused correctly andall pulling together. We can now compete with anyone worldwide.”


Size of firm: 50

Location: South East

Website: www.dutton-eng.co.uk

08

Farrelly Facilities & Engineering (SME)

‘Client feedback is fantastic and we don’t wastetime and money on complaints.’ Gerry Farrelly, Director

In the construction industry, workers traditionally put in between 50 to

60 hours a week, and at Farrelly Facilities & Engineering Ltd it was no

different. Then, in 1998, the owners decided to overhaul the company’s

ethos.

In the years since, the company has undergone a complete culturechange. They’ve improved staff recruitment and retention and fostered ahighly co-operative environment, while multi-skilling has increased asemployees learn other jobs. This allows them to fill in for any colleaguesthat need time off for other commitments.

The result has been dramatic. Farrelly Facilities & Engineering Ltd hasdrastically cut back on working hours, while at the same time doublingturnover and tripling profits – all through the introduction of work-lifebalance policies.

Now, most employees work a 37-hour week and the business is muchmore successful. Whenever a staff member needs time off work, forwhatever reason, they know they can ask for it and colleagues willsupport them fully.

Director Gerry Farrelly believes that business performance is all aboutcreating a positive environment. If employees are treated well, customersare treated well: client feedback is fantastic; and time and money are nolonger wasted on complaints. It’s now rare to even get a complaint, whileprior to the change the company received dozens. With better planningand communication the business experiences fewer problems.


Size of firm: 50


Website: www.farrellyfacilities.com

09

Fox’s Biscuits

“Staff turnover and absenteeism are both low andmost employees return to work after maternityleave, so the company retains their skills andexperience.” Steve Boyd, Personnel Manager

Fox’s Biscuits puts great pride in its stable, long-service culture – where

more than 300 employees have been with them for over ten years – and

much of their success is down to flexible working.

The diverse shift patterns available at Fox’s Biscuits enable the companyto attract a wide pool of employees – parents, students and those whochoose to work evenings and nights. This means productivity levels canbe kept to the maximum, which in turn boosts efficiency and profitability.

In fact, some 80 different shift patterns are in operation and these can bedecided locally. These variations are easy to accommodate as most differin length by only five to ten minutes from the standard core shifts.

The flexibility helps in recruitment of staff. As a major local employer,around 30% of staff have partners or relatives who also work there.Parents can work different shifts and share the childcare. One popularshift is 9am to 4pm, which allows parents to take and collect childrenfrom school.

Flexible working also contributes to excellent retention rates, whichensures the stable, long-service culture with low turnover andabsenteeism. In addition, the company increases its appeal as anemployer by offering various support networks such as a nursery, holidayclub, pre-retirement and counselling, together with benefits such asparental leave without restriction and unpaid emergency leave.


Size of firm: 1,799

Location: Yorkshire and Humberside

Website: www.foxs-biscuits.co.uk

10

GlaxoSmithKline

“Staff morale is high as employees take moreownership and responsibility for the way theydeliver their work.” Martin Swain, Human Resources Manager

GlaxoSmithKline asked employees to come up with their own thoughts

on improving their work-life balance. All ideas were considered as long

as there were no negative impacts on safety, quality, production or cost.

As a result, shift workers can now swap shifts to allow more flexibilitywithin existing shift patterns and office staff now work a set number offlexible hours.

By introducing work-life balance policies at its Slough factory,GlaxoSmithKline has boosted staff morale, reduced unauthorisedabsenteeism and increased individual initiative and proactivity amongstits workforce.

As employees gradually take more ownership and responsibility for theway they deliver their work, the new ‘give and take’ culture is proving anotable success.


Size of firm: 212 (Slough)


Website: www.gsk.com

11

Innocent (SME)

“The success of Innocent is down to theperformance of each individual within thecompany.” Richard Reed, Managing Director

Set up in 1998, fruit smoothies company Innocent sells its drinks in 3,000

outlets throughout the UK, Ireland and Paris.

The company attributes its success to allowing each member of staff towork in the way that suits them best. Because the company believes thatindividuals work optimally in different ways, it allows them to design theirown work-life balance.

In practice, this means that people who like getting up at the crack ofdawn get in early and leave early, while others choose to come in a bitlater and stay later, without any need for a formal flexitime system.

Staff are encouraged to work from home on days when they need somepeace and quiet. And they are also able to pursue other interests, whichmeans that Innocent retains skilled people rather than loses them. Forexample, the company’s youngest employee works four days a week toallow him to do a college design course on Fridays. Another employeewanted to go travelling, so Innocent gave him 6 weeks off in order to fulfilhis ambition. People are also given time off for hobbies, and the companyoffers a hobby fund, workplace yoga and free fruit in the office.

The company has won several awards including the Shell Live WireAward for Best London Entrepreneurs and the National Business Awardfor Best Investor in People from SMEs 2002, and is the fastest growingfood and drinks company in the UK.


Size of firm: 27


Website: www.innocentdrinks.co.uk

12

Listawood (SME)

“Whenever there is a rush job, everyone will find away of making it happen – and it makes adifference to our customers. Staff who feel valuedin turn value and nurture our customers.” Arthur Allen, Managing Director

Attracting new employees isn’t a problem for computer mouse-mat

manufacturers Listawood, who claim that their attitude to a healthy

work-life balance sees people turning down better-paid jobs to join them.

Managing Director Arthur Allen and his wife started the company in 1987with one employee – and now, 17 years later, their workforce has swelledto 200.

Flexible working is key to Listawood’s operation, and mutual support isthe crucial ingredient. Staff come and go without managementintervention, and the spirit of give and take gets things done. Employeesat all levels are paid for the hours they work, and extra hours are bankedand can be taken later.

As the company has developed, it has continued its flexible and family-friendly policies, starting a twilight shift so parents could work in theevenings. It soon gained a reputation among local parents and thecompany has largely expanded through taking on mothers returning to work.

Flexible working means that Listawood can increase production. Thecompany has made a huge investment in two digital presses and, whenthe company is busy, these machines are run on a double shift. Thanks toflexible working, the team decides how to staff the shifts while sharing thework fairly among its members.


Size of firm: 200

Location: East of England

Website: www.listawood.co.uk

13

MTM Products (SME)

“If people are allowed to work the hours orworking patterns that balance their work and homelives, in our experience they are likely to contributemore to the business.” Ian Greenaway, Managing Director

Back in 1996, struggling small business MTM Products needed a culture

change to revitalise its fortunes. The management pinpointed the

company’s employees as the key to this change.

By focusing on flexible working patterns which suited both individualsand the business, involving employees in the decision-making andtrusting them to deliver, the company was able to build a new ethos of co-operation.

Employees benefit through having more choices to balance their workinghours with their commitments, or simply working a shorter week. Thereare now 25 different working patterns on offer to the company’s 31 staff.

Mel Fowler, for example, left MTM Products on maternity leave inSeptember 2002 and recently returned part-time. She works three days aweek, from 8.30am until 1.30pm, which allows her to drop off her sonJoshua at her sister’s in the morning and pick up her partner from worklater in the afternoon. Julie Taylor recently increased her hours to full-time, but is able to change her hours during school holidays.

This culture change has allowed MTM Products to not only tradeprofitably once again, but also to become a top performer within itssector. It has extended the working day at its key plant, staff turnover isnegligible and absenteeism is at an average of only two days a year.


Size of firm: 81


Website: www.mtmlabels.co.uk

14

Perfecta (SME)

“By enabling staff to work various hours and daysaround their other responsibilities, the number ofavailable packers has more than doubled.” Dr Peter Roberts, Owner

Food company Perfecta recognised that in an area of full employment, it

had to offer attractive terms and conditions and a super-flexible approach

to work-life balance in order to attract good staff.

The family firm consulted extensively with its 40 employees beforedrawing up a package of work-life balance initiatives.

One particularly successful initiative has been the establishment of a poolof packers who work when it fits in with their family and othercommitments, helping with other production activities as well as packing.

By emphasising flexibility and the possibility of job-sharing, the companysuccessfully recruited a laboratory technician who needed to meetchildcare commitments – working 30 hours a week enabled her to join thecompany but still maintain her work-life balance. Other work-life benefitsintroduced in response to staff feedback include paternity leave and acompany-funded nurse who visits every two months.


Size of firm: 40


Website: www.perfecta.ltd.uk

15

Unilever

“The jobshare arrangement works perfectly, therole is covered for the full five-day week and theorganisation has saved approximately £30,000 inthe recruitment and training of external applicants.” Linda Emery, Diversity Manager

Unilever has introduced a wide range of flexible working practices in

response to employee requests.

These include part-time working and reduced hours, term-time working,additional unpaid leave, jobsharing, flexitime and homeworking.Employee assistance programmes are also available – an occupationalhealth service operates at each site, and some have crèche andchildcare support. Staff helplines providing services such as counsellingare also provided.

Nine out of ten women return to employment at Unilever UK followingmaternity leave since the company introduced an enhanced maternitypackage and career break scheme in 1990.

This is a dramatic increase in numbers from 1988 when only 6% offemale managers had childcare responsibilities.

“The feedback is generally very positive,” says Linda Emery, DiversityManager. “You need senior management commitment and need to beaware of any barriers to delivery, such as a long hours culture.”

One major example of success was when two very highly qualified andskilled senior personnel submitted a proposal to jobshare. Neitherwoman would have returned to work full time so although Unilever didnot traditionally take senior staff on part time, in this case it was thebest option.




Website: www.unilever.co.uk

BAA

“Adopting flexible working reduces the need forBAA office space, reduces total and rush-hour carjourneys and enables us to offer services to ourbusiness partners over a longer period of the day.”Stephen Golden, Group Equal Opportunities Manager

Airport operator BAA is aware that its employees will have changing

responsibilities in their lives, both in and out of work, and has prepared a

dedicated policy to address this.

The work-life balance policy was drawn up during 2002/3 by a projectgroup of employees and trade union representatives from across thebusiness, led by Group Retail Finance Director, Bhavana Desai.

The main aim of the new policy is to raise the profile of the variousoptions available to staff to help them balance their home and workcommitments. It lays down examples of flexible working options and theirright to discuss these options with their manager. Each case is consideredfully on its own merits, taking into account the business need andoperational requirements, and staff needs are met wherever possible.

Applications to work part-time can generally be approved in all workareas. Such arrangements can take various forms, mixing office andhome-based working, or job-sharing as the business needs dictate.

Sector: Travel



Website: www.baa.co.uk

16

BT

“Increased flexibility has enabled BT to recruitmore effectively and our retention rate hasimproved, with some employees turning downoffers of more highly paid employment in favour ofthe flexibility we offer.” Caroline Waters, Director People Networks

The benefits of helping employees to maintain a balance between work

and home life have been felt strongly by BT plc.

The company’s ‘Achieving the Balance’ portfolio gives employees greater choice and flexibility in the way they work. Flexitime, part-time andhomeworking are just some of the patterns enjoyed by BT people, allowingthem the freedom to balance their personal and professional lives.

Work-life balance initiatives have saved BT hundreds of thousands ofpounds on recruitment, retention and development costs and over £200min accommodation spending.

Not only that, but the schemes have boosted both loyalty and productivity,with more than 50% of staff members feeling more fulfilled at work and thesame proportion reporting the same or improved efficiency. Teamperformances have also been enhanced by more flexible resource planningand increased motivation.

Sector: Telecommunications



Website: www.bt.com

17

Cable & Wireless

“Flexibility in the way we work provides a keycompetitive tool in continuing to attract and retainhigh-calibre employees.”Ian Muir, Vice President, Group HR Policy

Attracting and retaining high-calibre employees is a major aim at Cable

& Wireless, who have found that flexible working practices are a key

competitive tool.

The different flexible arrangements they’ve successfully implementedinclude variable hours, part-time working, job-sharing and teleworking.At the same time, these have helped the company to meet both thebusiness requirement of providing quality customer service and theemployee need for maintaining a good work-life balance. So far, morethan 120 of Cable & Wireless’ 5,000 UK-based employees work part-timeand a further 300 work in call centres on company premises.

Cable & Wireless has found many practical ways to support flexibleworking, such as increased use of audio and video conferencing to avoidunnecessary travel. Teleworkers can use hot desk facilities when in theoffice, and all can use the company intranet to gain fast access toinformation on policies and support on flexible working issues.

In addition, employees can take a sabbatical of up to six months, whichincreases their experience and brings a wider perspective when returningto work. A telephone helpline also saves staff research time in finding outinformation on work-life balance issues, including legal matters, socialsecurity benefits, child and elder care support and personal problems.

Sector: Telecommunications

Size of firm: 5,000


Website: www.cw.com

18

IBM

IBM is convinced that it is imperative to address work-life balance issues,

not just for the good of the business, but morally as well. And it has the

research to back this belief up.

Its recent work-life survey across its global operations show that striking agood balance is closely linked to staff retention, and leads to greateremployee satisfaction.

The UK results also demonstrate that this isn’t solely an issue for femaleemployees.

Dependent care responsibilities are significant for both men and women,and in fact a higher proportion of male respondents claimed they will beassuming such responsibilities in the next five years. The survey alsoreveals that finding a work-life balance becomes increasingly difficult atmanagement and executive levels.

As part of its strategy, the company will conduct further research into theareas of dependant care needs, and flexible working practices and culture.A ‘Global Work-Life Fund’ has been established to support work-lifeprojects, which currently include a daycare centre, eldercare schemes andchildren’s summer camps.

Sector: Communications



Website: www.uk.ibm.com

19

The Irish News (SME)

“Sometimes it takes creative thinking, but theend result is holding on to a trained member ofstaff. As a result, there is full managementsupport for this initiative.”Yvonne O’Rourke, Personnel Manager

The Irish News believes that its employees work best when they are able

to balance work with other aspects of their lives.

They have implemented a wide range of policies, including paidemergency leave, job-sharing, compressed working weeks andemployment breaks. In addition, the organisation has enhanced maternitybenefit and paid paternity leave.

Since implementing the package of work-life balance policies, the IrishNews has reduced staff turnover by 20% – as well as making a significantsaving on advertising, recruitment costs and training.

They are delighted that the chance to balance home commitments, suchas looking after children, has been warmly welcomed by both male andfemale employees.

Staff can apply for any of the work-life balance policies, but have tosuggest solutions to any problems that may arise for the company. ForThe Irish News, it is very much a joint problem-solving exercise.

Sector: Media

Size of firm: 120

Location: Northern Ireland

Website: www.irishnews.com

20

Northbrook Technology

“Employees are the company’s singlegreatest asset, and there is a strong casefor work-life balance and flexibility from abusiness perspective.”Bro McFerran, Managing Director

There is often very little or no cost in adopting working practices which

afford a better work-life balance for employees. And the introduction of

more flexible working options has also allowed Northbrook Technology

to recruit from a wider pool of potential employees.

The company believes that supporting flexibility in the workplace hashelped its 650 employees to focus more on their work. Staff membersproduce ideas for flexible working showing how both they and thecompany will benefit. Examples include flexible working hours, part timeworking, shorter working weeks, split shifts and career breaks.

Initially, the company did not think that part-time working would suit thebusiness but it has been a very successful initiative and the company hasnow doubled its quota of part-time employees.

Staff retention was at an all-time high in 2002, with the company savingmoney on its significant training costs. The annual staff survey showedthat this success was largely due to the company’s work-life balancepolicies. It has also enhanced productivity and led to higher quality work.

Sector: Communications

Size of firm: 650


Website: www.northbrooktechnology.com

21

P&O Ferries

“We have 60 staff members, including officers, workingpart-time in the fleet, who would probably have left ifwe’d been inflexible. That’s a lot of expertise to lose andwe would have incurred considerable costs in recruitingand training replacements.” Peter Ambrose, HR Manager

When P&O European Ferries and Stena Line merged in 1998 as a result of

additional competition following the opening of the Channel Tunnel, the

company recognised that it had to offer an attractive package to retain

staff and attract quality recruits.

This was all the more pressing as the unemployment situation in theSouth East had much improved, making the right people harder to find.

A flexible approach, embodied in work-life balance strategies such aspart-time working and job-sharing, was seen as one way of becoming apopular employer.

The company encourages flexible policies to meet operational aims andaid recruitment. All requests for flexible working are considered‘positively’ and weighed against the business need. Factors such asexperience saved through staff retention, improvements in administrativeefficiency through job redesign, response times, continuity, accountability,reporting, cost and availability of safety drills are all taken into account.Whatever their decision, managers must be able to justify their opinionwith facts and figures.

Sector: Travel

Size of firm: 6,500


Website: www.poferries.com

22

Barclays Bank

“The goal of becoming an employer of choiceneeded to extend to all people policies, andparticularly those that impact on the life andfamilies of employees.”Anne Woolcott, HR Policy Manager, Barclays Bank

At Barclays Bank, the ‘people policies’ are based on a single, simple

premise: employees that are happy and feel valued are more likely

to stay.

The bank recognises that its ability to compete as a global financialservices organisation depends upon its ability to attract, retain anddevelop the very best employees. This means that policies have to be inplace to support staff in balancing work and home commitments.

Although two-thirds of the bank’s 57,000 UK-based workforce are women,it recognises that the issue of caring responsibility is not restricted tofemale employees. All staff can apply for paid carer leave, responsibilitybreaks and career breaks. All employees – and not just those with youngchildren – can request flexible working arrangements. New fathers areeligible for paid paternity leave and the provisions for maternity andadoption pay are in excess of the statutory minimum.

In addition, couples who work for Barclays can swap maternity leave – forexample, the mother may return to work early and her partner canassume any remaining leave. All parents with children under fourteenyears of age are also eligible for parental leave.

The bank’s ‘buddying scheme’ offers everyone who is going on maternityor adoption leave a ‘buddy’. This is someone who will have experiencedmaternity leave themselves, and will be able to offer practical supportduring the leave and at the time the individual returns to work. Thesepolicies mean that Barclays retains key staff, with 80% of the womentaking maternity breaks returning to full or part-time work.

Sector: Finance



Website: www.barclays.co.uk

23

Cogent Investment Operations Ltd

“We are proud of the approach we have taken andthe positive outcomes that have resulted.Employees see work-life balance as an added-valueapproach to their relationship with the business.”Kevin Cripps, HR Director

The introduction of a platform of flexible working options has changed

the fortunes of City investment operations firm Cogent.

The company has improved service delivery, staff are more motivatedand committed to their jobs and have been able to improve their work-life balance.

HR Director, Kevin Cripps, says: “Most businesses are continually lookingfor ways of improving productivity, extending their operating hours andimproving efficiency. A review of the way we manage our work demandand resources gave us a great opportunity to recommend new workingpractices. By being creative and investigating changes to the structure ofwork within teams and the amount of productivity required, we came upwith a whole host of flexible working opportunities for our staff.”

Head of Corporate Actions and Income, Ian Barnard, was voted Best Bossin 2002 by the charity Parents at Work. “The flexible hours staff workmean that the office is open for longer, providing our clients with a betterservice by having the right number of staff here when we need them,” hesays. “We have introduced annualised hours schemes (9-day fortnights)as well as part-time, remote and home working. The extra time off isparticularly welcomed by those staff with children.”

He adds: “One manager told me that every time he gets a call from arecruitment consultant trying to tempt him to other jobs, the first thing heasks is ‘can you offer as much time off as Cogent?’’

Sector: Finance

Size of firm: 808


Website: www.cogent.com

24

Domestic and General

“The average length of service has increased…and we are beginning to see a reduction in labourturnover and increases in productivity from whatwas already a strong position.”Ruth Ebbern Robinson, Human Resources Manager

Appliance breakdown insurance and outsource provider Domestic and

General was determined to establish itself as a ‘first-choice employer’

despite facing the same problems as all call centres of staff retention and

sickness absence.

They found that the solution to these problems lay in implementing awide variety of contracts, including term-time, student and weekend,together with measures to boost the number of part-time workers at thecompany.

In addition, Domestic and General committed firmly to staff developmentand in-house training. It focused on the development of team leaders,with detailed 360° appraisals and a three-day workshop – and thedelegates set up self-help groups to share feedback and best practicegoing forwards.

As a result of the company’s adoption of work-life balance policies, it hasincreased its ability to recruit. Press coverage has been very positive andthe diversified contracts have been so successful that many are over-subscribed, and the proportion of staff employed in this way hasincreased from 26% in 2000 to 33% in 2002.

Sector: Finance

Size of firm: 550

Location: East Midlands

Website: www.domgen.com

25

HSBC

“Providing a childcare programme has contributedconsiderably to reducing the number of women wholeave after having a baby, from 70%to 15% in 13 yearsat HSBC. This represents a massive budget saving – theaverage service of a maternity leaver is 11 years and thecost to the bank of replacing each one is estimated ataround a year’s salary.” Jan Jones, Diversity Manager

HSBC has seen an improvement in its ability to retain skilled staff since

implementing a number of family-friendly initiatives, in particular a

popular childcare programme.

The programme has been in operation since 1998 and provides some 850nursery places, 300 of them on the bank’s premises. Most of the nurseryfacilities are joint ventures with either the public or private sectors, withthe bank buying a guaranteed number of places. Dedicated childcaremanagers allocate these places to achieve maximum business benefit.

The bank supports the childcare programme with other work-life balanceinitiatives, such as part-time and flexible working, job sharing, paternityand family leave. It also offers all UK-based employees access to OpenLine, an in-house confidential advice, research and referral helpline whichassists employees in effectively managing the challenging dual demandsof home and work responsibilities.

Sector: Finance



Website: www.hsbc.co.uk

26

Legal & General

“Legal & General believe that the flexibility of ouremployees has been key to our success as it givesbenefits to both individuals and the company,enabling fast reaction to events.” Geoff Tucker, Head of Remuneration

With three women on the board and a significant number of female

senior managers, Legal & General understand how important it is

to persuade mothers with young children to keep their career

going forwards.

Actively committed to equal opportunities, the company offers flexibleand part-time work to encourage them to stay in the workforce.

Although formal flexitime was introduced at the company in 1970, by themid-90s it was found to be too restrictive. Legal & General thenintroduced proper flexible working, which enhances the work-life balanceof its employees.

The scheme introduced is based on the individual, their team andmanager agreeing the hours needed to get the work done. This can beregular hours at one extreme, or leaving when the work is completed atthe other.

In practice, it means that the needs of individuals can be met, as long asthe team can still do the work. A staff opinion survey showed 51% weresatisfied with the company’s family-friendly approaches, while 61% weresatisfied with the flexible working approach.

Now, a tenth of Legal & General employees works part-time, includingmany returning after maternity leave, building their hours around theneeds of the individual and the business. Workers are now counted asfull-time equivalents, rather than on the individual headcount to fostermanagement acceptance of part-time working.

Sector: Finance

Size of firm: 8,000 (in the UK)


Website: www.legal-and-general.co.uk

27

Littlejohn Frazer (SME)

“The business logic is impeccable. In a business likeours, the importance of people can’t be overstated.Anything that helps us maintain and improve thequality of that resource is good for business.” David Roberts, Chairman

In an extremely competitive recruitment market, accountancy firm

Littlejohn Frazer believed that enhancing its image as an employer would

help to secure more high-calibre staff.

To achieve this, they extended the flexible working options that werealready available to employees within the firm. But in doing so, it wasalso important to publicise the fact that flexible working was available toeveryone – not just the parents of young children.

When it comes to flexible working at Littlejohn Frazer, the board itselfleads by example. Chairman David Roberts works from home one day aweek, which enables him to see more of his children while still getting ahuge amount of concentrated work done.

A process is now in place for requesting flexible working, and a moreopen attitude to its benefits for all is spreading throughout the company,which is fast developing a reputation as a good place to work.

Sector: Finance

Size of firm: 151


Website: www.littlejohnfrazer.com

28

Lloyds TSB

“Traditionally, work-life balance and, in particular, flexible workingpolicies can be seen to be to do with women and parents so weare pleased it’s being taken up by men and managers.”Sally Evans, Senior Manager, Equality & Diversity, Lloyds TSB

Lloyds TSB has been running its Work Options scheme since 1999. Now,

a third of its employees work flexibly and, of those on a Work Option,

16% are men and 18% are managers.

A range of factors has influenced Lloyds TSB’s work-life balance agenda,including customer expectations, requiring increasingly innovative andflexible delivery channels, and intensive competition in recruiting andretaining quality staff.

Options introduced by Lloyds TSB include reduced hours, job sharing,variable hours, compressed working and teleworking. Any employee canput forward the business case for flexible working to their line manager,and a solution will be found that works for both the bank and theemployee.

The reason for requesting flexible working is not relevant to the decision-making process – applications will be accepted unless they are clearlydetrimental to the business.

Individuals and applicants are encouraged to think creatively about howthey wish to work and team-based applications to work flexibly have beenparticularly successful, such as the 12-strong manpower and informationteam who work a compressed nine-day fortnight.

The benefits have been tangible. The level of service given to HRbusiness partners is better than ever, which means they work better intheir business units, which ultimately has a good impact on theorganisation as a whole.

The company has found that productivity and motivation can beincreased, and absenteeism and stress can be reduced, through effectivework-life balance strategies. Since the organisation estimates that it costsbetween £48,000 and £50,000 to replace a senior employee, it’s clearly abusiness strategy that works.

Sector: Finance



Website: www.lloydstsb.co.uk

29

Moore and Smalley (SME)

“Everyone has liked the flexitime scheme and therehave been no drawbacks for the staff, the firm or theclients. At the same time, we are not seeing the samedegree of short-term sickness and other absences.” David Gill, Partner

Pilot projects in flexitime and ‘location independent working’ aim to

greatly enhance client service, reduce absence and increase staff

motivation and loyalty at accountants Moore and Smalley.

Flexitime has been introduced in the tax department, with core hoursfrom 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm. Extra hours worked during busyperiods can be carried forward for days off.

Business benefits are already identifiable – staff are happy to workadditional hours when necessary. The daily working span has increased,offering client service outside normal working hours, and doctor anddentist appointments are now taken in flexitime, reducing lost hours tothe firm.

Offering location independent working required investment in laptopcomputers and a switchboard allowing calls to be transferred seamlesslyto any off-site location. But this has improved efficiency and clientservice, as well as staff satisfaction.

Work-life balance initiatives are now set to have wider applicationthroughout the firm. Over the period of the pilots, staff turnover in termsof voluntary leavers halved from an average of 15% to 7.5%. Theproportion of lost days due to short-term absence and sickness fell from3.5% to 2.3%.

Sector: Finance

Size of firm: 120

Location: North West

Website: www.moore-and-smalley.co.uk

30

Royal Bank of Scotland Group

“While we have an agreed working pattern, the Group has putits trust in Viv and I to manage this between ourselves. Ourworking arrangement is proven and works well – theteamwork, compatibility and consistency in both partners hasenabled us to meet our objectives in terms of our work aswell as our own lives.” Jane McWhannell, Assistant Manager Staff Club

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group wanted to reduce staff turnover,

increase retention of key skills and experience and raise employee

commitment and motivation.

And it succeeded by allowing its staff to vary working practices, makingthe business more flexible and making employees feel valued andfocused. The workforce has also become more diverse.

The majority of the group’s 110,000 staff are women, and a third of thesework part-time. Other employees favour compressed hours, term-timeworking, or other flexible arrangements.

For example, Jane McWhannell and Viv Darvell have been working on ajob share arrangement for the last 10 years and manage the Group’s staffclub and noticeboard facilities.

Jane says: “This is a great working arrangement and provides both of uswith flexibility in the job and in our personal lives. It has worked well forme as my children are growing up, providing me with the opportunity toattend events such as sports day. I have been delighted that the Grouphas been so supportive of this working arrangement.”

Sector: Finance



Website: www.rbs.co.uk

31

Royal & SunAlliance

“We need to help employees to balance theirhome and work lives effectively if we are to recruitand retain skilled people.”Margaret Shaughnessy, People Risks Manager

A major benefit of flexible working hours for insurers Royal &

SunAlliance is that they are now better-placed to meet customers’

demands for ‘on call’ access to sales, underwriting and claims services

outside traditional core working hours.

In essence, the desire of some employees to start early and finish early,or start late and finish late depending on their other responsibilities,dovetails perfectly with the needs of the business to provide accessduring extended hours.

All employees, including managers, are able to apply for a change intheir working patterns. As well as flexible hours, this could involve part-time working, job-sharing, a compressed working week or term-timeworking. All will be considered, subject to meeting the company’scommercial and operational requirements.

The company believes that this mutual benefit creates a healthy workingenvironment, in which its highly diverse workforce is motivated andfocused. This has lead to greater productivity and improved customersatisfaction. It also contributes positively to staff recruitment and retention.

Sector: Finance



Website: www.royalsunalliance.com

32

Yorkshire Building Society

“In one year the annual cost of stress-relatedabsence dropped from £120,000 to £105,000.”Susan Hibbert, HR Projects Manager

Ever since Yorkshire Building Society adopted flexible working practices

to improve the work-life balance of its 2,000 employees, it has noticed a

dramatic drop in staff turnover.

After introducing policies such as job-sharing, flexitime, working fromhome and compressed hours, the Society saw a marked improvement,including a much higher return rate after maternity leave – from 60% to82% in just two years.

Other policies, such as compressed hours for a nine-day fortnight havealso proved popular, with colleagues covering for each other’s workloadsand making up the hours during the week. For example, a branchmanager has Wednesday afternoons off to pursue her degree in Business Studies.

As a result, the Society has been able to retain experienced staff who,without flexible working, would have been forced to leave.

Examples include an employee who needed to share caringresponsibilities for her sick mother. She was able to work part-time.Another took a year’s career break following the birth of her third child.When she returns, her second child will have started school and sochildcare will be much easier.

Sector: Finance

Size of firm: 2,000


Website: www.ybs.co.uk

33

ASDA

“Every single one of our flexible working policiescomes from our colleagues themselves. Theyshow we’re serious about listening to colleagues,and that we really mean it when we say it’s ourpeople who make the difference in our business.” David Smith, People Director

Supermarkets are a people business, and Asda is convinced that

introducing innovative work-life balance policies has enabled it to

improve staff motivation and customer service at its 258 stores.

The practices have also had a very positive effect on reducingabsenteeism and staff turnover.

Asda’s 120,000 employees have a wide range of flexible workingpractices on offer. Childcare leave allows parents to stop work for a shortperiod during the summer holidays, returning in term time withcontinuous service and maintained benefits.

Asda is also doing its bit to attract more women into general storemanagement – these positions are available on a job share basis toenable people to manage their work and home commitments.Meanwhile, a shift swapping scheme enables colleagues to be absentfrom work for specific family or domestic reasons, and students can evenswap the store they work at if studying away from home. Or they canchoose to take study leave if going away to college, returning to work inthe holidays. The over-50s are catered for too. They are able to take up tothree months unpaid leave regardless of job, contracted hours or lengthof employment, but maintaining continuous service. Asda believes thatall these measures play an important part in retaining a loyal, motivatedworkforce dedicated to customer service.

Sector: Hospitality and retail



Website: www.asda.co.uk

34

Beardmore Conference Hotel (SME)

“In an area where competition with otheremployers is tough, we need to stand out from thecrowd. Our flexible benefits package has helped usrecruit some excellent people – and they havestayed with us too!” Carol Hampson, HR Advisor

Recruitment and retention of staff are major issues for the hospitality

industry, but Beardmore Conference Hotel has devised a number of

ways to attract the staff it needs, including many policies geared to

work-life balance.

Competition with other employers in the area is tough, but Beardmore’sflexible approach to accommodating individuals’ needs within thedemands of the business has enabled it to attract and retain the rightcalibre of people. Flexible working also helps cater for busy periods. Forexample, non-managerial staff work annualised hours.

This means that if the hotel is particularly busy one week, staff areprepared to stay longer until the work is done. In return, they can leaveearlier if the hotel is not so busy. Sometimes it may entail employeesworking very hard for a four-month stretch in the summer, but shorterhours in winter.

Family-friendly policies also help to increase staff loyalty – time off fordependents, career breaks, and term-time working are all acceptable aslong as the job can be done.

Training is also encouraged, as any form of learning benefits thecompany in terms of increased staff self-esteem, motivation andcommitment.


Size of firm: 79

Location: Scotland

Website: www.beardmore-hotel.co.uk

35

Bettys & Taylors

Tea room company Bettys & Taylors offer family-friendly working

patterns to help retain a satisfied workforce. The policies also act as a

recruitment tool to enhance the company’s image as a good employer.

Flexible working has helped with shift rotas too. As individuals choose towork different hours, there is no problem covering the weekend orevening shifts. Management hours have also decreased. Family-friendlypolicies include maternity and paternity leave, parental leave, and timeoff for emergencies. The company also offers a diverse range of freetraining opportunities, which are not just task-related but aim to enthuse participants.

The need for flexibility is considered on an individual level toaccommodate the needs of both the business and employee. Forexample, the company supported a worker in accounts while she gainedadditional qualifications, and later allowed her a three-month sabbaticalto travel. Since her return she has taken on greater responsibilities and isa very loyal and committed member of staff, who has now been therefor 12 years.

Bettys & Taylors has one of the lowest staff turnovers in the industry –just 3% within the group’s core business – thanks to its work-life balance policies.


Size of firm: 850


Website: www.bettysandtaylors.co.uk

36

Botanic Inns

In a notoriously difficult industry to attract and retain staff, the Botanic

Inns chain of bars in Belfast has forged a reputation as a popular

employer, due to their use of work-life balance policies.

Ensuring that employees feel valued is fundamental to the company’sethos, and staff representatives poll workers on an annual basis on howthey feel about the company’s commitment to them as individuals.

Botanic Inns has designed a competitive benefits package, which includeenhanced maternity and paternity provisions, plus flexible workingoptions including compressed working weeks, term-time working,flexitime, part-time and teleworking. The company also offers anEmployee Assistance Programme – a year-round, 24-hour counsellingservice for all sorts of issues, including debt management andrelationship problems.

One of the company’s branches, which employs 37 people, has piloted aninitiative to highlight the benefits of flexible working and related work-lifebalance policies. Its launch began with an amnesty on ‘duvet days’ and itwas identified that 42 working days were lost last year for reasons suchas childcare and personal reasons.

Cathy Donnelly, Head of HR says: “The benefits of the company’scommitment to work-life balance can be clearly seen in the falling labourturnover statistics over the last number of years.”


Size of firm: 550


Website: www.botanicinns.com

37

Castle Green Hotel (SME)

“All three women (one senior manager and twoassistant managers) taking maternity leave in 2002returned to work. They are all very effective andhighly valued members of staff. Replacing themwould have meant £9,000 in recruitment costs.”Julie Chapman, Personnel Manager

Castle Green Hotel has seen its staff turnover rate tumble by nearly a

quarter to 40% since introducing flexible working policies, in an industry

where a rate of 100% is not unusual.

Employees at the hotel can arrange flexible hours or jobshares, whileparents are eligible for enhanced maternity and paternity leave. Anymember of staff can apply for flexible working regardless of the reason,be it child or dependant care, study or simply leisure.

Although available to all employees, the policies are designed to beparticularly attractive to parents, as Castle Green believe that people withchildren often tend to be more responsible about work than young, singlepeople. For example, in the housekeeping department, working hours canbe fitted around the school day.

There are now more job applicants from other industries, many of themdrawn by Castle Green’s reputation as a good employer. The hotel hassaved on recruitment and training costs, as well as satisfying regularcustomers who like to see familiar faces. Absenteeism is very low, withsickness accounting for 0.5% of payroll, compared to a national averageof 4%.


Size of firm: 105

Location: North East

Website: www.castlegreen.co.uk

38

39

Evergreen (SME)

“Without offering flexible working arrangementsI wouldn’t have a business. I’m a mother too. To make it all work, a strong team effort is vitaland we are all willing to cover for each otherwhen needed.”Jane James, Owner

Evergreen owner Jane James decided to adopt a holistic approach to

the management of the hairdressing salon, by evaluating the

individual needs of her eight female staff as well as the requirements of

the business.

Some of the initiatives she drafted in on the basis of that evaluationinclude flexible start and finishing times to fit in with school hours andholidays, alternate Saturday working to coincide with partners’ shiftwork, and time off for children’s events such as sports days.

These flexible working practices have been consistently improving theteamwork and communication between the staff ever since. There isalso very little time taken off for sickness.


Size of firm: 8


McCormacks (Music) Ltd (SME)

“Work life balance practices are not totally altruistic– you get improved performance if you treat peoplewith respect and flexibility.” John Wiggins, Director and General Manager

A complete culture change at Glasgow-based musical instrument retailer

McCormacks has brought about remarkable results in the last five years.

The company introduced new policies for its employees, includingflexitime, part-time working, job-share, emergency leave and voluntaryreduced time. In addition, other measures of valuing staff have been putin place, such as sharing information, a flatter organisational structureand pay bonuses.

Since then, revenue has doubled and profitability increased. Director andGeneral Manager, John Wiggins, believes this is simply down to theintroduction of the work-life balance policies. He describes the culturechange as a ‘compassionate approach to managing people’, which hasrecognised the business benefits of improved recruitment and retentionof quality staff.

Bert Whitehead had worked with McCormacks for 36 years when he wasdiagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. After seven weeks off work,he returned and the company allowed him to work three alternate days aweek. The company benefited by not losing a valuable and experiencedmember of staff. Bert says: “It’s working out really well, and I’m hopingto get back to full-time.”


Size of firm: 31

Location: Scotland

Website: www.mccormacks-music.com

40

Marks and Spencer

“Our work-life balance policies have givensignificant commercial benefit to the organisation.This has been measured in the number of staff thatwe are able to retain after maternity leave or adependency break, and we save on the costs ofrecruitment and retraining.” Alison Houston, Head of HR Corporate Governance

As a household name, Marks and Spencer ensures it is seen as a popular

employer across the country by offering a wide range of choices in

working patterns to help its staff to find a healthy work-life balance.

The retailer has developed an extensive range of work-life balanceinitiatives that make a major contribution to the morale and loyalty of its75,000 staff across 294 stores. These include benefits such as flexibleworking, home and part-time working, job-share, educationalsponsorship, secondments, career leave and flexible retirement options.

Parents are able to take time off to attend appointments duringpregnancy and IVF treatment, and are eligible for additional maternityleave, paternity leave, company maternity pay and adoption leave. Timeoff is also available for foster carers.

Nearly 80% of the workforce is female, and mothers going back to workfollowing maternity leave have a range of options, including gradualreturn and term-time working. A ‘child break’ scheme is in place for thosewho do not wish to start work again immediately. Similar support isprovided for those with other caring responsibilities.

Through flexible working, Marks and Spencer has seen the benefit ofretaining talented staff and developing them within its organisation.




Website: www.marks-and-spencer.com

41

Park Hotel Tenby (SME)

“If we treat staff well there is a significant knock-on effect for the guests, which in turn has had anenormous impact on repeat bookings and thecontinued success of the business.”Liz Howells, Joint Owner

Flexible working practices have helped the Park Hotel in Tenby, West

Wales, to keep hold of a loyal core of staff, some of whose children and

grandchildren also work there. It has achieved this despite operating in

an extremely competitive industry.

Rates of pay at the Park Hotel are competitive, but employees are alsoattracted by the hotel’s family-friendly working patterns, which areadapted to the needs of the individual and the business. Staff have alsobeen trained to work in groups and across different areas, so they canswap around to fill gaps if anyone is unable to come to work.

Joint owner Liz Howells holds a breakfast meeting for all staff between10am and 11am each day. This means that problems such as childcarearrangements can be sorted out, with staff offering to swap shifts orbabysit for each other. She says: “The bonus for me is that problems getironed out. Everyone helps each other.”

Liz believes that keeping employees happy helps the business to besuccessful, as hotel guests are in turn treated much better and, as aresult, make repeat bookings.

Sector: Tourism

Size of firm: 24

Location: Wales

Website: www.parkhoteltenby.com

42

43

Peebles Hydro Hotel and Leisure Complex (SME)

“Flexibility leads to more satisfied staff which inturn leads to better job performance.”Heather Waters, Head Housekeeper

Flexible working was originally introduced at Peebles Hydro Hotel and

Leisure Complex some 15 years ago to ease recruitment difficulties.

Since then, other work-life balance policies have been added which haveconsolidated the hotel’s reputation as an excellent place to work. Theseinclude part-time working, special shift arrangements, compressedworking hours, use of the health facilities and limited access to the on-site crèche.

It met with great success, retaining effective staff who otherwise mighthave left, and at the same time attracting local people who in differentcircumstances would not have been able to join the labour market. Staffare more satisfied at work, which in turn leads to better job performance.Head Housekeeper, Heather Waters, says: “Flexitime helps to keep goodworkers and to keep a good team which works well together. When extraeffort is required in busy times, everyone works together to get through.”

Sector: Tourism

Size of firm: 162

Location: Scotland

Sainsbury’s

“Finding, recruiting and training an employee isexpensive. Losing that investment, together withaccumulated experience, is a costly and oftenunnecessary waste.” Glyn House, Employment Brand Manager

The Sainsbury’s business operates 24 hours a day, 364 days a year.

Flexible working is therefore essential to business success, with some70% of colleagues working part-time and numerous examples of flexibleworking at all levels of the organisation. In order to beat the competition,Sainsbury’s must be a leader in attracting and retaining talented people.Flexible working is therefore vital, as today’s workers demand that theyare able to balance both their home and work commitments.

Sainsbury’s continually encourages its stores, depots and the businesscentre to develop working solutions that enable colleagues to plan theirdaily lives, alongside solutions that ensure that sufficient people areavailable to meet the demands of customers. It offers a range of work-lifebenefits including career breaks, jobsharing, dual store contracts, leavefor fertility treatment and time off for emergencies. And staff can take thelead in shaping their work-life balance. Anyone is able to suggest to theirline manager a working pattern that would suit them, and as long asthere is a strong business case and it fits in with colleagues, it will beseriously considered. Lorna Aitken, a checkout assistant, loves herflexible working arrangements: ‘It’s great – I’ve been able to get aqualification and earn a living at the same time.’

Sector: Retail



Website: www.sainsburys.co.uk

44

45

Secrets (SME)

“The last couple of years have really confirmed mybeliefs about the importance of finding a personalbalance between work and the other aspects ofyour life. We are showing that you can do that andstill run a profitable business.” Steve Winder, Managing Director

Secrets, a hairdressing and beauty salon, has gained a reputation for

being an excellent employer through its incorporation of work-life

balance principles into its training, management skills and business

systems development.

The salon has introduced innovative time-management, stress andabsence policies and has introduced annual training plans alongsideregular appraisal and development discussions. Working mothersparticularly benefit from flexible hours and special term-timearrangements. With fewer young recruits than in the past, a sympatheticresponse to the priorities of older employees is important in attractingand keeping a skilled workforce. But the needs of youngsters are notneglected – they often leave early on Fridays and Saturdays to get readyfor nights out.

Sector: Hospitality

Size of firm: 44

Location: East of England

46

Wilts Wholesale Electrical Co

Opening on a Saturday morning has brought clear business and

employee benefits for Wilts Wholesale Electrical.

The company, a family-run business with 485 employees and 47 branchesacross the South West, piloted the idea in its Bath store. By opening on aSaturday, the company widened its customer base, adding personalshoppers to its business client-base and increasing its level of service.Sales have increased by 10% and staff are happier because they can taketime off during the week. Labour turnover has been reduced to less thanhalf the industry average and short-term frequent absences have alsobeen drastically cut. The industry average for labour turnover is 56% – atWilts it stands at 23%.

Staff also enjoyed the flexibility of time off in the week – they could taketheir children out in the afternoons or do jobs that were difficult onweekends, such as getting the car fixed. The company is assessing thefull impact of the pilot project before rolling it out to the rest of thecompany. Meanwhile, flexible working has been introduced at head officeand staff turnover has dropped from 22% to 4% – just three resignationsin 2001 as compared to 15 the year before.


Size of firm: 485

Location: South West

Website: www.wilts.co.uk

Aricot Vert Design (SME)

“I would rather have the right peopleworking flexible hours than the wrongpeople working rigidly set hours.”Lin Arigho, Managing Director

Graphic design company Aricot Vert has reaped the rewards of a

flexible culture in creativity, high morale and productivity.

It has been able to recruit the right people, staff turnover is low, andabsenteeism non-existent. Managing Director Lin Arigho sets a positiveexample. A mother of three, married to a Royal Navy Officer who isoften away for long periods, she demonstrates how it is possible tosuccessfully balance both family and business responsibilities.

Lin finds that the flexible culture brings greater creativity to team-working, and has had no problems managing flexible workers. On thecontrary, she says “The more accommodating you are, the more peoplewill put themselves out for you.”

The benefits to the business are: less money and resources are spent onrecruitment because retention is higher; a more motivated team wherework fits harmoniously with home commitments; and a group of peoplewho really do want to work for Aricot Vert. Lin says, “We have alsorecruited higher calibre people, that we couldn’t have afforded if we hadbeen offering a full-time position.”

A variety of working patterns is tailored to suit each individual’spersonal circumstances. For example, one employee works 9am to 3pm,another 1pm to 5.30pm, and another mornings only. Work flows havepeaks and troughs, which can sometimes mean longer hours, balancedwith time off.

Sector: Design

Size of firm: 18


Website: www.aricotvert.co.uk

47

Base Connections (SME)

“Staff turnover has been reduced and is currently at 13%,compared to the call centre average of 60%. We are alsoable to retain our staff for longer periods.” Annetta Snider, Managing Director

Base Connections, a telemarketing company, has been able to recruit

the right calibre of staff – and retain them – by offering flexible

working patterns.

New recruits are asked what hours and working patterns they wish tofollow and this forms their contract of employment, which can be variedaccording to need. One staff member, for example, initially worked threefull days while her child was at nursery. She swapped to mornings onlywhen the child went to school, and later to work school and term hoursonly. Over 80% of the 60 employees work flexible hours, ranging frompart-time and term-time work to reduced hours in school holidays.Study leave, emergency leave and childcare vouchers are amongst otherbenefits.

These policies allow the company to keep staff turnover well below theindustry average – 22% over the last 3 years and encourage employeesto work for the company for longer.

“It also provides the customers with what they want – motivated staffwho are keen to work,” says Director Annetta Snider.

“The staff we employ are our unique selling point. The company hasbeen able to get the right people because we offer flexible working,”says Annetta Snider, Director.

Sector: Business Services

Size of firm: 60


Website: www.baseconnections.co.uk

48

Bindman and Partners (SME)

“Flexible working has been used as amechanism to meet client needs.” David Harris, Chief Executive

As a firm of solicitors with a large criminal department, Bindman and

Partners are accessible 24 hours a day.

Additionally the firm has variations in the workload. Flexible workinghas assisted the firm in meeting these demands. Some partners in thefirm work four days a week while some solicitors are available duringthe night.

The firm provides 2 weeks’ paid paternity leave and paid sick leave forimmediate dependents such as employees’ children. On occasion,support staff are also allowed a degree of flexibility in contractedstarting and finishing times to provide a better service to fee earningemployees. The firm also employs casual hourly paid staff to cope withpeaks of work.

The firm says flexible working is mutually beneficial, with part-timecontracts for solicitors and administration staff suiting its pattern ofwork and allowing staff to pursue other interests or manage homecommitments.

Sector: Legal

Size of firm: 60


Website: www.bindmans.com

49

Happy Computers (SME)

“We need our staff to be innovative andflexible, so for us, flexible working is a win-win situation.” Cathy Callus, Managing Director

Happy Computers is an aptly named company with well-motivated staff,

which through offering flexible working has achieved excellent retention

rates in a sector that, typically, has very high employee turnover.

The computer training company allows its 43 staff members to determinetheir own job description and work flexibly. Managing Director CathyCallus says that the type of work the company handles requires staff touse their initiative and be flexible. She believes the company’s attitude towork-life balance complements this way of working.

Employees are allowed to work flexible hours, for example, taking oneday off a week to study or pursue a hobby. Administration workers havealso been allowed to choose which jobs they want to do, putting the moreonerous jobs on a rota system. This has resulted in more motivated staff,and, because of flexible hours, the phone lines are open longer.

Cathy was awarded a special commendation for innovative managementat the Parents at Work Best Boss awards 2000.


Size of firm: 43


Website: www.happy.co.uk

50

Market Monitor (SME)

“As a result of this flexible attitude, the organisationbenefits from a high level of commitment andloyalty among staff and low levels of absenteeismand turnover.” Mary Clements, Operations Manager

Direct marketing company Market Monitor has an open-door policy

when it comes to talking about its employees’ work-life issues, and

flexible hours can be arranged to suit individual needs.

Workers are openly encouraged to discuss any problems and findsolutions. For example, some employees work in term time only.

One staff member had problems taking her toddler to the child-minderand getting to work on time. Pushing back her starting time by just 30minutes helped to reduce the overall stress of getting to work, gave herquality time with her child and improved her performance at work.


Size of firm: 30


Website: www.market-monitor.biz

51

The Training Exchange (SME)

“If you meet staff halfway with their personalneeds, it makes a massive difference to thebusiness; in return the company gets great loyaltyfrom its staff and has more happy customers.”Simon Pugh, Chief Executive

Management consultancy The Training Exchange has noticed an

enormous improvement since implementing a range of flexible

working options.

Among the choices available to employees are home-working, part-timehours, variable weekly hours and time off for childcare, school runs, orhospital visits as necessary.

One staff member, a 21-year-old lone parent, works during school hourswith time off for childcare. Without this flexibility she would not be ableto work at all. Another, a male manager, starts work late on a Mondayand leaves early on a Friday to ease his weekly commuting. He tends towork in the evenings to make the time up.

This flexible approach makes a massive difference to the business.Since it was implemented there has been a clear increase incontribution, commitment and effort from staff, as well as excellentfeedback from customers.


Size of firm: 30


Website: www.thetrainingexchange.co.uk

52

53

Further help and advice

Achieving best practice in your business is a key themewithin DTI’s approach to business support, providingideas and insights into how to improve performanceacross your business. By showing what works in otherbusinesses, we can help you see which approaches canhelp you, and then support you in implementation.

ACHIEVING BEST PRACTICE IN YOUR BUSINESS

To access free information and publications on bestpractice:• visit our website at www.dti.gov.uk/bestpractice

• call the DTI Publications Orderline on 0870 150 2500or visit www.dti.gov.uk/publications

SUPPORT TO IMPLEMENT BEST BUSINESS PRACTICE

To get help bringing best practice to your business,contact Business Link – the national business adviceservice. Backed by the DTI, Business Link is an easy-to-use business support and information service, which canput you in touch with one of its network of experiencedbusiness advisers.• Visit the Business Link website at

www.businesslink.gov.uk

• Call Business Link on 0845 600 9 006

FLEXIBLE WORKING ADVICE

To find out more about flexible working log on towww.dti.gov.uk/workingparents.

Or call the national helpline on 08457 474747.

This site is for both employers and employees andprovides information on flexible working legislation andyou can download application forms needed to allowworkers to exercise their new rights.

More case studies and advice can be found atwww.workingfamilies.org.uk

Working Families is a campaigning charity and providesinformation for employers and employees. The siteincludes articles and factsheets and offers a ‘balance atwork consultancy’. The charity also hosts the WorkingFamilies Employer of the Year awards.

GENERAL BUSINESS ADVICE

You can also get a range of generalbusiness advice from the followingorganisations:

England

• Call Business Link on 0845 600 9 006

• Visit the website atwww.businesslink.gov.uk

Scotland

• Call Business Gateway on 0845 609 6611

• Visit the website at www.bgateway.com

Wales

• Call Business Eye/Llygad Busnes on 08457 96 97 98

• Visit the website atwww.businesseye.org.uk

Northern Ireland

• Call Invest Northern Ireland on 028 9023 9090

• Visit the website at www.investni.com

Examples of products and companiesincluded in this leaflet do not in any wayimply endorsement or recommendation byDTI. Bear in mind that prices quoted areindicative at the time it was published.

Published by the Department of Trade and Industry. www.dti.gov.uk © Crown Copyright. URN 04/806; 04/04

flexible workingwebarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20050302184020/dti.gov.uk/best...half the case...

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