Expert View
RECRUITMENT IN THE NEW
HYBRID WORLD by Victoria Mitchell
Farleys head of employment
The benefits of hybrid working for many businesses are well-known, from increased staff morale to lower operating costs.
However, employers should be cautious when implementing a permanent hybrid working approach for new and existing employees to ensure they are complying with employment laws.
Avoid discrimination: if you are allowing new employees to choose the amount of time they spend working from home and the office, it is vital to ensure you do not treat an employee who chooses to work more days from home less favourably than one who spends more time in the office, particularly as these employees may be those with disabilities or caring responsibilities.
You should also be mindful of offering flexible working to new recruits but failing to extend that to current employees.
It is important to document the implementation of flexible working into your employment contracts and staff handbooks along with information about how an
that they are able to deliver the same level of productivity in the reduced timeframe.
Stuart says: “Many observers will be watching this trial with great interest as its success or failure could lead to a fundamental shift in how businesses operate.
“From an HR perspective there would be many considerations around a four-day week with issues such as consultation and contractual changes, fair and consistent allocation of rotas and which days people have off, in addition to wellbeing and the risk of burnout if people try to cram five days of work into four days.
“Despite what some people might think, it wouldn’t just be as simple as businesses closing on a Friday and everyone having an extra day added to their weekend.”
He adds: “Ultimately, there are many factors that a business needs to take account of before deciding if and how they want to offer long-term working from home, hybrid working or even the four-day week to staff. There isn’t going to be a clear one size fits all approach.
“What is certain though is that the way people think about their working environment and when they work has changed forever and many employees are now looking for what has been called a ‘framework of flexibility’ when they are applying for a new role and employers who are unable or unwilling to offer that may end up missing out on talent.”
Staff health and wellbeing is also moving up the agenda in the wake of the pandemic. It
employee should go about requesting flexible working or a change in their flexible working arrangements.
If you had a temporary flexible working policy in place during the pandemic, you may want to amend this to a long-term policy.
Consider health and safety: health and safety risk assessments will need to be completed for new employees working from home for some or all of the time. You may also want to revisit these regularly to ensure the employee’s set up at home will not lead to any claims for injuries caused by poor equipment.
It is also imperative that your organisation takes appropriate measures to protect confidential information and personal data to avoid employee grievances, customer complaints and fines by the ISO.
Employers need to be clear to employees what the arrangements are for the management and supervision of work and hybrid workers. Reviewing and updating employment contracts and staff handbooks is crucial.
has become a major factor in recruitment and retention and several Lancashire businesses are leading the way in responding.
Law firm Harrison Drury has partnered with a specialist company to offer free health checks to all staff as part of its employee wellbeing strategy.
The onsite assessments – which include checks on blood pressure, cholesterol, heart rate and hydration levels – are the latest initiatives brought in by the firm to promote a culture of health and wellbeing.
The firm has also created a team of trained mental health first aiders to help champion an open and supportive culture around mental health within the company. And it has made a commitment to embrace hybrid working to help support team members to balance their work and home lives.
Another Lancashire law firm, Woodcocks Haworth and Nuttall Solicitors (WHN) has rolled out a new mental health support programme to its team of solicitors and support staff.
That support includes access to 24-hour helplines for its 105-strong team in emergency situations, as well as private face-to-face counselling sessions to enable ongoing issues to be dealt with.
Michael Shroot, WHN chief executive, says: “Our team is at the heart of what we do here, so driving investment in their wellbeing and happiness is incredibly important to us.”
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LEGAL VIEW
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