High fuel costs should force bosses to be more flexible

As high fuel prices continue to bite, companies should be considering requests for more flexible working as a way of easing the financial burden on their employees, according to the UKís leading provider of workplace information and consultancy services Croner.

At the moment, only parents and those with a recognised caring responsibility have the legal right to ask for flexible working.

But with the average price of diesel edging towards 1.30 a litre, all workers with cars are likely to be scrutinising the financial cost of travelling to and from work.

Croner, part of Wolters Kluwer, is encouraging employers to be open to suggestions from all staff to alter their terms and conditions to make their working lives easier.

Joanne Pitts, employment law consultant at Croner, says: ìThe cost of getting to work for many people is soaring, especially in more rural areas, with fuel prices going through the roof. As a result, we expect an increasing number of employees to be approaching their bosses with requests to consider changing their terms and conditions in order to reduce their weekly spend. For some part-time staff, they may be wondering whether itís financially worth them travelling to work at all.

ìIt might be possible for some employees to work from home or to alter their start and finish times to avoid the rush hour traffic, and therefore the time spent sitting idle in traffic burning fuel.î

Joanne added: ìAlso, as graduates search for their dream jobs, their considerations distinguish the progressive people-focussed employers from old-line companies. Employers refusing to consider flexible working for all workers run the risk, not only of losing existing staff, but of not attracting good quality people.

ìFlexible working can improve employee relations and staff morale, as well as setting companies apart from their competitors,î she said.

Croner is offering the following advice for implementing an effective flexible working policy:

Be open-minded about adopting flexible working arrangements.

Employers should be aware whether any request from staff is a temporary or permanent agreement.

Explain the benefits of flexible working to line managers and ensure that they implement the policy fairly.

Involve staff in agreeing working patterns in line with the ebb and flow of business.

Estimate the cost of implementing flexible working. Although this is unlikely to be substantial, it is important to recover the investment.

Establish benchmarks for recruitment, retention and absence, and measure the results regularly to establish the effect flexible working has had.

Ensure that recruiters emphasise the opportunities for flexible working to improve the recruitment process.

Review how flexible working operates to ensure that operations are not compromised, all staff have an equal opportunity to work flexibly, and that expected business improvements have materialised.