New School Year: Flexibility for Working Parents

Each September, as a new school year begins, working parents and guardians face the annual challenge of balancing work responsibilities with the needs of their children. For small businesses, accommodating requests for flexible working can be a delicate balance between individual needs, the organisation’s operational needs and customer requirements. Getting this balance right is essential for retaining valuable employees and ensuring their productivity. This blog explores how small businesses can effectively manage flexible working requests from parents.

Understanding the Need for Flexible Working

The return to school marks a significant transition period for many families. Parents need to adapt to new routines, which often create challenges with home and work schedules. Flexible working requests from parents usually include arrangements such as adjusting start and finish times, working from home, job sharing, or even compressed hours which are explained in further detail below.

The Legal Framework

In the UK, all employees have the right to request flexible working. This includes working parents who may need to modify their working patterns to accommodate school schedules. The statutory procedure involves making a written request, which employers must consider and respond to within two months unless an extension to this timeline is mutually agreed.

Types of Flexible Working Arrangements

A flexible working request from working parents will often include one of the following:

Changes to Working Pattern

Employees may request a change to their working pattern such as reducing their working hours, working days or changing their scheduling. Allowing parents to stagger their start and finish times can make a significant difference. For example, starting work at 9:30 AM instead of 9:00 AM can give parents enough time to drop their children off at school. Similarly, finishing earlier can help them pick up their children without the rush. As the employer, consider the impact of the proposed working pattern through a range of lenses such as the efficiency of your operation and ability to support your customers.

Working from Home

The rise of remote working has been a game-changer for many. Parents can save time on commuting, allowing them to manage school drop-offs and pick-ups more efficiently. However, it’s important to ensure that remote working arrangements are practical for the business and that employees have the necessary resources to work effectively from home.

Job Sharing

Job sharing allows two employees to share the responsibilities of one full-time position. This can be particularly beneficial for working parents who may not be able to commit to full-time hours. Clear communication and coordination are key to making job sharing successful.

Compressed Hours

Working parents might prefer compressed hours, where they work their full-time hours over fewer days. For instance, working four longer days instead of five standard days can free up a day for parental duties, potentially making huge financial savings on childcare costs. The organisation would need to assess the impact of absence on the fifth day.

Parental Leave

While not a permanent flexible working arrangement, parental leave is an important consideration. Parents are entitled to up to 18 weeks of unpaid leave for each child, which can be taken in blocks of one week. This allows parents to manage their time around school holidays or other critical periods.

Best Practices for Managing Flexible Working Requests

Open Communication

Encouraging open dialogue is essential. Understanding the specific needs and challenges of working parents can help in crafting suitable flexible working arrangements. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions will ensure that the arrangements are working effectively for both parties.

Clear Policies

Having clear, written policies on flexible working arrangements helps set expectations and provides a reference for both employers and employees. These policies should outline the process for requesting flexible working, the types of arrangements available, and the criteria for approval. MAD-HR can help to develop a bespoke handbook containing all family policies including flexible working.

Fair Consideration

When assessing flexible working requests, consider the impact on the business and the employee’s role. It’s important to strike a balance between accommodating the employee’s needs and maintaining business operations. In some cases, it might not be feasible to grant the exact request, but alternative solutions can often be found.

Training for Managers

Managers should be trained to handle flexible working requests fairly and effectively. This includes understanding the legal requirements, the business’s policies, and how to have constructive conversations with employees about their needs and possible solutions. Our expert HR Consultants can guide you through flexible working requests and train your managers to consistently and fairly consider requests.

Challenges and Solutions

From our experience of supporting our clients to consider flexible working requests, we find that challenges usually fall into the following categories:

Inability to Recruit Additional Staff:

For small businesses, a key challenge in offering flexible working is the potential inability to recruit additional staff to cover any shortfall. In such cases, creative solutions like cross-training existing staff or temporarily reallocating tasks could be considered to help manage workloads.

Maintaining Productivity:

Concerns about maintaining productivity can be mitigated by setting clear goals and expectations for employees working flexibly. Using project management tools and regular check-ins will ensure that work is being completed efficiently.

Impact on Customers:

Organisations have commitments to their customers and in today’s competitive environment, any risk to customer service is of concern to business leaders.

Conclusion

As the new school year starts, it’s an opportune time for small businesses to re-evaluate their flexible working policies and practices. By understanding the needs of working parents and implementing thoughtful, fair, and effective flexible working arrangements, businesses can not only support their employees but also enhance their overall productivity and employee satisfaction.

Our expert HR consultants can provide pragmatic support and guidance to help you manage flexible working.