Flexible Working Good for Productivity

Flexible working (perhaps hybrid or remote working) is good for productivity, says Baroness Jacqui Smith, an education minister in England. Lucy Fisher and Delpine Strauss report in the Financial Times (31 August 2024) that the UK government "plans to boost the ability of employees to compress a five-day working week into four longer days" because doing that "could boost productivity".

Baroness Jacqui Smith, an education minister, said Labour's proposals to bolster flexible working rights, including a four day "compressed" week, could usher more people into the workforce.

"We think that flexible working is actually good for productivity," she told LBC Radio yesterday, giving the example of staff moving from working eight hours a day from Monday to Friday, to 10 hours for four days a week.
"You're still doing the same amount of work, but perhaps you're doing it in a way that enables you, for example, to need less childcare, to spend more time with your family, to do other things, that encourages more people into the workplace," she said.

Labour promised ahead of the election to build on legislation that already allows staff to ask for flexible working arrangements and compels bosses to consider any such request, without forcing them to approve it.
Under the party's workers' rights package finalised in May, Labour set out proposals for flexible working patterns to become the default, with the onus shifted on to employers to justify refusal where it is not "reasonably feasible".

It would be a change to the existing right to request flexible working, which became a right from day one earlier this year--scrapping a previous 26-week qualifying period that made it difficult for parents of young childre for example, to move jobs.

Officials insisted that the government, which has committed to set out further details of its approach within 100 days of entering office, would not impose a four-day working week.

A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said any changes would be consulted on, adding: "Our Make Work Pay Plan is designed around increasing productivity and creating the right considerations for businesses to support sustained economic growth."

"Flexible working good for productivity, says minister" by Lucy Fisher and Delphine Strauss in The Financial Times, August 31, 2024.

The top image was shot by Bernie Goldbach in his 2007 Small Office Home Office. He called it "Office 1.5".