Less than half (47%) of respondents’ employers offer flexible working for their entire workforce, according to research by workplace software provider Croner Solutions.
Its research, which surveyed 1,200 working adults, found that 23% of respondents said their employers do not offer flexible working arrangements.
The research also found, if offered flexible working arrangements, respondents would opt for:
- Condensed working hours (19%)
- Working from home (18%)
- Part-time working (12%)
- Time off in lieu (12%)
- Staggered hours (6%)
More than one in 10 (11%) of respondents said they would not like any type of flexible working.
Louise Barnes, senior employment consultant at Croner, said: “The findings of the Croner survey show that many British bosses are not only unaware of their legal obligations, but they are failing to understand the benefits that flexible working can bring from an employee engagement perspective.
“There are many different options available to employers, from part-time working to staggered hours, which could not only meet the needs of the workforce, but actually help employers in the current economic climate. With the workforce becoming more age diverse, it is not surprising that employees want different things when it comes to working flexibly.
“Typically, we are finding that younger employees want the freedom of working from home at times that suit their lifestyle. The strained pockets of middle-aged employees mean that they are most likely to want to work condensed hours to save money on childcare costs, work around school hours or even squeeze out a little bit more me time. And older workers want to reduce their hours to ease into retirement or match the hours of their partner.”
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