Written by Jane van Zyl, CEO at Working Families (September 2024)

More and more businesses are wising up to the benefits of creating inclusive workplaces. When employees feel valued and seen, they are able to do their best work, and productivity, engagement and retention get a boost in the process. It’s why we promote wellbeing and work-life balance with our annual National Work-Life Week campaign.

Almost 9 in 10 working parents say that access to flexible working arrangements has, or would have, a positive effect on their wellbeing. But although flexible and family-friendly policies provide a solid foundation, sometimes policies alone aren’t enough. A holistic approach is needed to develop a culture where everyone feels they can utilise the support on offer and thrive both at work and at home.

Start with job design

Flexible working is good for everyone. Not only can it help look after mental health and enable more time with loved ones, for some people managing caring responsibilities or health challenges, working flexibly can be the difference between being able to work or not. There are so many ways to work flexibly, from staggered starts to job shares to team-rostering, where the team decide the schedule together and work out cover to make sure everyone’s needs are taken into account. Site-based workers may not be able to work from home, but all jobs have an element of flexibility in them which can be identified when you break roles down into tasks. The key to unlocking the benefits of flex is finding a solution which works for the individual as well as the organisation.

Advertise flexible jobs

Once you have got the job design right, you can advertise all roles as flexible, and reach a much wider and diverse pool of candidates and tap into talent that might otherwise be inaccessible. Companies such as Zurich have proved how effective this strategy can be, alongside using gender-neutral language, evidenced by a 72% increase in applications per vacancy in the last five years and a 110% surge in applications from women. The approach has also helped to close the gender pay gap, by doubling the number of women in part-time senior roles. To support employers on their journey to designing more flexible jobs, Working Families has designed a Happy to Talk Flexible Working logo.

Consider individual ways of working

Once a working pattern has been agreed, allow employees, where possible, to find the right balance for themselves by giving people autonomy in how they structure their day. It can also help to manage expectations on both sides by agreeing ways of working that enable people to create their own rituals and routines within a structure. For example, agreeing not to book in back-to-back calls, and asking people to add their working hours to their email signatures.

Empower managers

To make work a truly inclusive space, train managers, not just in the policies, but why they matter. Helping managers understand the ‘why’ behind flexible working enables them to see the business benefits and encourages positive attitudes to flex requests. It can also help when managers appreciate the impact of things like fertility, baby loss, and menopause on employees’ work and how to manage these situations. Emphasise that managers aren’t expected to be experts, they just need to feel comfortable having conversations about tricky topics. Give line managers the tools to talk, such as checklists or other resources which normalise what good conversation sounds like and ensures consistency across an organisation.

Get the message across

Make family-friendly and flexible working policies visible to new hires by putting them on job adverts. It can also help to explain the ‘why’ as well as the ‘what’ so prospective applicants get a feel for your core values. Utilise key touch points such as onboarding and returning from leave, to remind parents and carers of their right to work flexibly and the importance of family-friendly working. Utilise role models and enlist flexible working champions and ‘in-house influencers’ that can share real life examples of working flexibly to reduce fears around judgement over taking flex and the impact on career development.

Encourage belonging

Making people feel they belong can be very powerful. Think about how language can be used to break down the idea of gendered roles and reflect the diversity of modern families. There are many ways to celebrate diversity and break down stigma, so that people feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work. Consider celebrating neurodiversity, ‘Coming Out Day’ and awareness events around male mental health.

Listen and respond

Creating an inclusive culture can never be seen as a job done. Listening is the foundation of creating cultures where everyone feels understood and valued. It helps gain insight into what is helpful in their lives, identifies gaps in policy and enables employers to be responsive to the needs of parents and carers. Regularly assessing the effectiveness of family-friendly policies and practises through staff surveys, exit interviews and feedback from employee resource groups will highlight where improvements and adjustments can be made. Initiating a ‘You said, we heard’ approach will communicate understanding and ensure accountability taking feedback forward.

Join us during National Work Life Week from 7-11 October. We will be discussing types of flex and how to make them work, and how leaders can flex from the front in our webinars. Or, download our toolkit to see how your organisation can get involved and celebrate flexible and family-friendly working.