Flexible working ‘can improve morale’

Flexible working has numerous benefits for a business and should be encouraged, according to one expert.

Director of corporate marketing at mobile phone company Orange Max Taylor said employers should be prepared to “embrace the practice”.

“Allowing employees to work flexibly actually presents a significant opportunity for businesses to save money and improve employee morale,” he explained.

Bosses will need to make some adjustments to their management styles, including possibly changing their manner of evaluation if they are used to grading workers by observation, but Mr Taylor stated that the benefits outweigh the negatives.

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Orange discovered that over half of all university leavers in 2010 expected some degree of accommodation in the workplace, either by working from a different location or outside of the typical office hours.

Flexible working was valued higher than a good salary or friendly colleagues by most recent graduates.

The scheme need not cost a lot, Mr Taylor explained.

Posted by Cameron Thomson