The Papworth Trust report ‘Disability in the United Kingdom 2013, Fact and Figures’ reports that one of the most commonly stated enablers for employment among adults with impairments is flexible working hours/days.
Being creative is important when considering flexible hours. Below are some examples which could act as prompts for line managers and employees exploring this issue together.
- Take a flexible approach to start/finish times and/or shift patterns
- Allow use of paid or unpaid leave for medical appointments
- Phase the return to work, e.g. offering temporary part-time hours
- Equal amount of break time, but in shorter, more frequent chunks
- Allow someone to arrange their annual leave so that is spaced regularly throughout the year
- Allow the possibility to work from home at times
- Temporary reallocation of some tasks
8 Reasons why Flexible Working for people with disabilities is good for the Employer as well as the Employee
- Making these adjustments could help avoid unplanned absences and enable you to manage and cover planned absences from the work place.
- These adjustments could reduce sickness absence time taken by the employee and will improve punctuality issues.
- Flexible working patterns allows people to work when they accomplish most, feel freshest, and are more able to work.
- These adjustments can be used as part of the employee’s recovery so need not be permanent.
- Flexible working times will give the employee an increased feeling of personal control over schedule and work environment and in turn a feeling of being able to manage their condition.
- Flexible hours of work are likely to reduce employee burnout due to overload.
- A flexible approach could allow the employer to respond to peaks and troughs in work demands
- Being responsive and flexible improves morale and productivity and will also improve recruitment and retention
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