In your own time

More and more organisations are dangling the carrot of flexible working in front of job applicants. But although the idea of being able to structure your work time around the rest of your life has great appeal, it’s not always clear how it applies in practice.

In fact, flexible working can mean anything from flexitime and days off in lieu to working from home. It tends to depend on the work ethic of individual councils and housing associations and the type of job you do. Although employers are not required to provide flexible working, most now do, so it’s usually a matter of negotiating with your line manager to see what exactly would work with the requirements of your job.

In April 2003 the government brought in flexible working regulations that entitle some employees to request flexible hours in any job. This applies to parents of children aged under six or of disabled children aged under 18. Employers have a statutory duty to “consider their applications seriously”.

But the law does not provide an automatic right to work flexibly as there will always be circumstances in which the employer is unable to accommodate the employee’s desired work pattern. If you are a receptionist or work in a call centre, you will probably be required to work set hours each day in a specific location. As a result it is unlikely that you will be able to work flexible hours whether you have children or not.

But if you are a housing officer, care worker or work in repair and maintenance, for example, it is certainly worth checking with your manager to see what kind of flexible working arrangements are on offer. Cornelius Attridge, human resources manager at Atlantic Housing Group, says the rules are simple. “As long as your job allows for flexibility, your manager agrees, you don’t create extra work for your colleagues, you’re contactable at all times and your job gets done, flexible working actually leads to smarter working,” he says.

Most associations don’t have strict policies, but it is possible to negotiate flexibility. For example, you might rather work from 8am to 4pm than the standard 9am to 5pm; or if you have meetings near to where you live, it may not be worth going into the office. Flexibility can also be helpful if you know there are going to be road works or train strikes that will mean your journey to and from work is going to eat into your day; if it’s appropriate, your manager might agree to let you work from home.

But you should be prepared to revert to normal hours when needed. “It’s great if you can work out with a colleague to start and finish at a certain time each day, or to job share, but what happens if they leave and their replacement can’t cover you? It’s important to remain flexible yourself,” explains Anna Knight, head of human resources management at Circle 33 Housing Group.

It’s also worth noting that the higher up you go, the more likely you are to be able to negotiate greater flexibility. At Circle 33 middle managers and above are able to use flexitime at their own discretion. This means that if they want to work at home for the day they can do so without having to clear it in advance.

Knight herself works at home two days a week and has all her work calls diverted to her mobile so people phoning her would never know the difference. She is also able to access all work and email files from her computer at home. She says that taking the time to set things up properly is key. “As long as you put in the time and effort, most people can usually work out something that makes their life easier and improves their ability to do the job.”