Companies look to flexible working to tackle absence

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The number of employers making changes to working patterns to try and reduce long-term absence has increased by one fifth in the
last year, research has revealed.

Absence is back up to the levels observed in 2011 and 2010, with employees taking an average of 7.6 days a year, according to the annual Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development and Simplyhealth Absence Management Survey.

Employers are attempting to manage long-term absence by introducing more flexible working, such as changing working hours from 9-5 to 10-6. In the last year the organisations embarking upon this increased by twenty percentage points to 85%. This bucks the trend of previous years – the number of companies adjusting working patterns between 2010 and 2012 increased by just two percentage points.

Over 70% of the organisations surveyed reported that introducing flexible working opportunities in the last year has had a positive impact on absence levels. A further 46% also stated they were using flexible working options to support employees with mental health problems.

Flexible working patterns are also increasingly being used as a tool to manage short-term absence – by 62% this year,compared with 53% in 2012, 54% in 2011 and 51% in 2010. This is particularly important given that two thirds of working time lost to absence is accounted for by short-term absence.

“It’s fantastic to see employers recognising the benefits of increased flexible working opportunities” said Dr. Jill Miller, CIPD research adviser and co-author of the report. “Changing demographics, including more people with caring responsibilities and the abolition
of the default retirement age, mean more people are looking to work untraditional hours. Offering more flexible working opportunities also helps to respond to the needs of the UK’s ageing workforce, in which older employees will increasingly need and want to work in different ways and with different hours as they move towards retirement.”

Helen Dickinson, spokesperson for Simplyhealth UK, added: “Getting flexible working right can lead to higher motivation levels, better productivity and increased flexibility. Balancing both the needs of the company and the employee often results in happier and healthier employees and lower absence levels.

“The role of the line manager is essential. Flexible working works well when line managers and employers are aware of the different lifestyle demands employees may have. As well as the employer’s role, employees must recognise that flexibility is two-way and being adaptable to help the business succeed too. It is about building an environment where the employee can have open and honest conversations about the challenges they are facing.”