Public Sector HR Podcast

Flexible working is a topic that attracts much debate, particularly in a downturn. With the extension to the Right to Request Flexible Working happening in April, an additional 2 million public sector employees will become eligible under the new rules.

To listen to the podcast, click the grey arrow below.

The first part of this month’s show, explores what this will mean for public sector employers. We then take a fascinating look at the workplaces of the future.

My first guest in Andy Lake who is Editor of the on-line business journal, Flexibility. Andy believes that this extension, which will now include parents with children under the age of 16, is quite limited and is in fact, discriminatory. He also thinks that it is of no help to people who are out of work.

Andy’s experience shows that organisations tend to respond to flexible working at three levels and these are:

1. GETTING A POLICY IN PLACE TO DEAL WITH THE RIGHT TO REQUEST - this reactive approach tends to be used by most public sector organisations

2. TAKING A MORE STRATEGIC APPROACH - moving away from seeing flexible work as exceptional and treating it as more normal

3. MOVING BEYOND THE FAMILY FRIENDLY APPROACH - thinking how flexible working can make organisations work and use their resources much better

His advice to HR Practitioners is:

• ADOPT A CAN-DO POLICY - be proactive rather than reactive and promote flexible working as a good way of working

• ALIGN FLEXIBLE WORKING WITH OTHER NEEDS - e.g. working hours with when customers actually want to talk to you

• LOOK AT THE TASKS IN PEOPLE’S WORK - can they be done more flexibly and efficiently

• GET TOGETHER WITH COLLEAGUES FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS -  to develop a comprehensive approach to ’smart’ working

• LOOK CLOSELY AT RECRUITMENT POLICIES - when people apply, consider how an applicant can suggest more flexible ways of working without that scuppering their application

• TAKE FLEXIBLE WORKING AWAY FROM THE ‘MUMMY’ TRACK - so that it applies to all people

You can find out more about flexible working at www.flexibility.co.uk or you can contact Andy directly, on 01223 304792 or email him at andy.lake@flexibility.co.uk where he can also put you in touch with the Smart Work Network

Bridget Hardy is my next guest. Bridget works for the Government Estates Division of the Office of Government Commerce, which is part of HM Treasury. Her job is to make the government’s estates more efficient, effective and sustainable and as part of this role, she has co-authored a book - ‘Working Beyond Walls’.

Interestingly, the book explores the role of the workplace as an agent for change and describes the vision for the workplaces of the future. It also presents the issues people are going to have to tackle when they’re thinking about changes within their own organisations. These include:

• PEOPLE WORKING IN DIFFERENT WAYS

• INNOVATIVE USE OF WORKSPACES

• FLEXIBLE AND MOBILE WORKING PRACTICES

• MUCH MORE REGIONALLY DISTRIBUTED WORKPLACES

• CLUSTERING OF DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT BRANCHES, USING SPACE MORE FLEXIBLY

Key lessons that came out of the study, which formed part of the research for the book, highlighted the need for a senior strategic workplace manager to lead the changes and ensure they are properly embedded. It also emphasised the importance of a change management process, when dealing with people.

Bridget’s advice to HR Professionals is:

• INTERGRATE MORE WITH PEOPLE DEALING WITH FACILITIES, ICT AND THE BUSINESS - have a regular dialogue and get involved in understanding what you can do together to support the workforce

• GO TO CONFERENCES -  to learn more about things other than the HR profession

• UNDERTAKE STAFF SURVEYS -  to establish what makes people choose an employer

• VOLUNTEER TO PILOT A CHANGE LIKE THIS - if the opportunity arises

• GET TO KNOW TEENAGERS - to understand better what you are going to have to provide in the future 

The Working Beyond Walls book is available to download free from the OGC website www.ogc.gov.uk or for a free hard copy, contact the OGC Service Desk on 0845 0004999 or email servicedesk@ogc.gsi.gov.uk

Listening to the show is simple, you can do it in a number of ways and you don’t need an iPod or MP3 player. Simply click on the grey arrow underneath the show heading and it will play through your computer.

Alternatively, you can easily download the file and listen to it later, or transfer it onto an MP3 player, just right click on ‘Download’ and select ‘Save Target As…’ The show can also be played on iTunes.

To make sure that you never miss an episode, you can subscribe free via email, or by clicking the orange RSS icon or iTunes button. Each new show will then be delivered automatically to your computer, along with notes about the show, useful contact details and links to additional information.

I would love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for further shows. Either email me directly at karen@publicsectorhrpodcast.co.uk or click on ‘Comment’ underneath the show title and type away.