Free online workshop for employers – supporting flexible working in practice

Employers For Childcare, as part of its work with employers, has organised a free online workshop for employers looking at the many ways in which they, and their staff, can benefit from embracing flexible working. At a time when employers are faced with challenges attracting and recruiting staff, there are significant business benefits from offering and promoting flexible working, including increased productivity and lower sickness and absence rates. It’s a difficult time for employees too and having an employer who is flexible can really help employees to achieve a better work-life balance, which contributes to increased staff loyalty and general wellbeing.

The workshop takes place online via Zoom on the morning of Thursday 14 October, coinciding with National Work-Life Week which is a UK-wide initiative focusing on wellbeing at work and work-life balance. It is free to attend (pre-registration is required) and is aimed at employers and those with a role in organisational development including HR managers and advisors and line managers who may be responsible for looking after flexible working requests from their teams.

Crucially the workshop will look beyond simply ‘working from home’ or ‘going part time’ in considering models of flexible working. Working from home is not suitable for everyone, depending on their job role or household situation and is not an option for employers across many industries. As we start to emerge from the worst days of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are seeing more companies starting to embrace more innovative – and more responsive – options, tailored to their own organisations and to the needs of their staff.

Employers For Childcare is delighted to welcome Kate Jarman from the FlexNHS campaign to speak about how flexible working can be achieved within the health service, at all levels, and how staff can be supported to achieve a positive work-life balance. Attendees will also hear from a number of Northern Ireland-based organisations who have put in place flexible working policies, on how they have made these work, practically, and the benefits they have seen to their businesses as a result.

Speaking ahead of the workshop, Head of Charity Services at Employers For Childcare, Aoife Hamilton, commented: “We are delighted to have organised this workshop for employers exploring the ways in which they can support their employees with flexible working, and the business benefits of doing so. Organising events like these is one of the ways our Family Benefits Advice Service works with employers, to help them identify and promote flexible and family friendly working policies. We have seen some really innovative examples of flexible working during Covid-19 and we would love to see that continue and develop in the longer-term to the benefit of employers, their staff and ultimately our economy as a whole”.

Further information on the workshop programme is available on Employers For Childcare’s website. To register, email hello@employersforchildcare.org.