Charity push for flexible work

Agovernment-backedcharity has launched a support service to help Scottish businesses harness the potential of flexible working.

Family Friendly Working Scotland (FFWS), which is supported by the Scottish Government, has introduced a range of training and support options designed to help managers and human resources staff promote the benefits of flexible working practices to senior leaders.

The offering will include workshops and packages of tailored support for employers.

It aims to encourage companies to embed a “genuine culture” of flexible working, with studies reporting benefits such as increased motivation and productivity, along with reduced absenteeism and staff turnover.

Research by FFWS shows the overwhelming majority of the Scottish population (95 per cent) believe that work-life balance is at least as important as salary. This includes nearly a third (32 per cent) of Scots who feel that it is more important than remuneration.

FFWS co-director Lisa Gallagher said: “With multi-generational workforces, increasing numbers of working parents and those caring for elderly relatives as well as rising mental health and wellbeing issues, employers are increasingly turning to flexible working to help them face the challenges of a modern responsible businesses.

“But knowing exactly how to implement and normalise flexible working can still be challenging. Our new support service offers practical solutions along with examples and advice from a range of organisations that have managed to successfully change the way they work and are thriving as a result.”

FFWS’S next employer workshop will take place in Edinburgh on Thursday, 3 October, before the annual National Work Life Week campaign which will begin on 7 October.