Making flexible working the new normal

Alison Weatherhead, a partner at the law firm Dentons, talks to Utility Week about employers’ responsibilities to remote workers as well as the “societal divide” that could emerge between people who are able to work from home and those who can't.

Many workplaces have begun to welcome staff back with phased, staggered and part-time approaches since the government urged offices to reopen to boost businesses reliant on commuter and city centre trade. For others, safety concerns mean staff continue to work remotely.

Weatherhead explains that as workplaces reopen, employers must ensure workers return in a Covid-secure and safe way. This includes travelling to work especially for those using public transport:“The return will not look or feel like normal … We should expect the unknown, and for things to change again and again this year. Good communication around working arrangements will remain key for the rest of 2020.”

She advises businesses to consider the burden of the new rules in the workplace and what they mean for employees’ duties. Some people’s roles may need adjusting if they are required to perform added health and safety tasks, so these should be distributed as fairly and reasonably as possible.

Changing cultures

Reducing the time colleagues spend together in a physical space could affect company culture. Weatherhead says there are not only be fewer opportunities to interact socially but also to pick up on negative behaviours: “Working from silos at home makes it much more difficult to pick up on damaging behaviour, nip it in the bud at an early stage and ensure no damage has been done. Those who are good at hiding, and terrible at managing and delivering, may just find homeworking the perfect environment.”

She suggests businesses should find new ways to support best performance and address changes in behaviour: “Six months ago we would never have thought we could achieve so much through our computer cameras – but the challenging times may still be ahead of us.”

Widening gap between workers

The flexibility and freedom of homeworking has saved time, money and carbon on commuting while also keeping workers safe from the virus, but Weatherhead warns this narrative ignores people who have been at their regular workplace throughout the pandemic and will always need to be.

“These groups will lose out on valuable time with their families and rest from what are often physical, very demanding roles. This could well widen the divide between what used to be called blue collar and white collar workers. It is unlikely that this work will be recognised for being more demanding, and more difficult, just because of the absence of the chance to stay at home.  In most cases, employers have chosen not to pay a supplement to employees who had to come into work, compared with those who can stay at home. Even though those who work from home typically save substantial amounts from the lack of commuting time. This is a double whammy, with both time and cost being saved.”

The flexible new normal

Enforced working from home has destroyed the view that staff are most productive in an office. Many workers have welcomed the change and employers have been surprised by productivity. Weatherhead says employers will need to consider offering such flexibilities going forward, without losing the community of work that some crave: “We don’t want to lose the human element and the interactions we all enjoy. These have not been entirely replaced by webcalls. But it is how that interplay between working together in the same physical place and working together through camera is managed by employers which could make all the difference.”

There are some jobs for which remote work is not a possibility, so flexibility in other ways could be considered: “Working patterns, days of the week, term time and part-time arrangements still give huge value to many and I encourage employers to be imaginative about these options too. They may not be suitable every time – and that is fine. There remains a right to request flexible working but not an obligation to agree to it. Looking properly at the requests is the best way to ensure you are not losing out on talent in the longer term.”