Engage and retain employees with flexible working

If you’re dealing with employee churn and are worried about retaining top talent within your business, there’s a simple and cost-effective solution at hand. One of the key benefits of flexible working is that it increases employee engagement and that can lead to greater commitment from staff. 

Ten2Two’s flexible recruitment agency has conducted research into the subject of the benefits of flexible working for employers. Our Flexible & Proud Report cites a key stand out reason for adopting flexible working as boosting employee retention and keep staff for longer.

The benefits of flexible working for business

The recruitment process can cost businesses thousands each year. It makes the hiring process quite a pressure for employers as they seek out talent that fits the bill, but also, find people who will commit to the company for more than a short period of time.

MD2MD, a Leadership Consultancy, told Ten2Two that flexible working is a total win-win for the business. The benefits of flexible working have led to greater economic efficiency and better quality of work for the business and a more enjoyable, more rewarding quality of life for their employees. And happy employees are more likely to stay put.

It’s a powerful case for flexibility leading to greater employee retention. 

Bob Bradley, Founder of MD2MD says, “The business and the member of staff gain from flexibility and I believe the business gains loyalty and commitment from treating its staff as adults and developing them effectively. I have the view that if you don’t trust your team, you shouldn’t be employing them!”

How MD2MD achieves flexible working results:

• All non-director employees work from home on flexible annual hours contracts
• These flexible contracts provide a regular income despite work and home peaks
• The contracts assume fewer hours during the holidays than during the key business months
• Staff working hours are not monitored. It is the quality and quantity of outcomes that matter

A focus on people leads to employee retention

Franklin Fitch is a specialist IT firm with a strong focus on their people. As they told Ten2Two’s Flexible & Proud Report, employee engagement is largely dependent upon working practices and environments.

They fully embrace the benefits of flexible working by offering unlimited holidays, a flexible core hours scheme and a personal development plan tailored to each employee’s needs. As part of that, they encourage a growth mindset and understand timelines vary and learning methods differ, in an aim to ‘build a business within a business’. They believe in empowering individuals for company success.

When the working day doesn’t fit the 9-5

MapAction is a humanitarian mapping charity, with just over half of their employees working part-time. They also view the benefits of flexible working as essential to their overall success as an employer of choice.

Flexibility allows MapAction to employ excellent staff who can then fit their hours in around their family and other commitments. They say, “The team works very hard and the nature of humanitarian and disaster response work is that it doesn’t fit neatly into office hours. People take time off in lieu if they work out of their normal hours.” The company also has a generous holiday allowance, also popular with employees.

If you’d like to know more about our flexible recruitment options or flexible working consultancy, please contact Ten2Two today. Read the full Flexible & Proud Report here. We wish you lots of success in embracing the benefits of flexible working – you won’t honestly look back. Best of luck!