The new guide hopes to reduce overtime and workplace stress

Working better: The Managers’ guide to flexible working has been launched by Commission Chair Trevor Phillips from the Equality and Human Rights Commission and aims to improve employee productivity, lower business costs and help meet the needs of modern working families.

It includes a step by step process for managers of business, and gives guidance on flexible working practices with examples from leading companies that have effectively brought in these policies, including BT, Sainsbury’s, National Grid and IBM.

Benefits include higher staff retention, reduced absenteeism overtime and workplace stress, more efficient use of office space and less commuting for employees by working from home or satellite offices.

Commission Chair Trevor Phillips says, ‘Flexibility is a tool many British businesses use to attract and retain quality staff. Flexible working makes good business sense not only in maximizing productivity but by providing a powerful tool to respond to customer needs. As we look towards an economic recovery, having the best talent in place and the ability to respond to customer needs will be crucial to the speed at which a company recovers.’