Southampton: Moore Blatch advises flexible working

Southampton law firm Moore Blatch is playing an important role in helping local companies survive the current recession with advice to help employers avoid large scale redundancies.

Katherine Maxwell, who is head of employment at the south coast law firm, says that a proactive approach to flexible working is proving the lifesaver some companies need to weather the economic crisis.

“We have been increasingly working with companies who want to do everything possible to avoid making job cuts and flexible working is proving the way forward for many," she said. "It is a new concept for many employers who would have always thought of redundancy as the way forward but the south’s workforce is very aware of the current situation and their flexibility is making this work."

At one Hampshire firm Moore Blatch was brought in at an early stage to advise on how the company could cut costs but still retain its skilled workforce.

“Despite falling orders the company knows that once the recession lifts it will need the same number of staff and after building up the skills needed it wanted to do everything possible to keep these people," said Maxwell. “We worked on a variety of scenarios looking at employment contracts, future business prospects and how best to maintain the headcount."

She said that cutting hours for some staff had been the best short-term solution while others had taken on additional responsibilities and pay reductions had also been used by some.

The rise in this kind of work coincides with research from Keep Britain Working, a campaign set up by recruitment consultancy Reed which says that firms which grant their employees access to flexible working arrangements are likely to have made fewer workers redundant since the onset of the economic downturn.

The research revealed that a fifth of workers have seen the nature of their role change over the past nine months while a further 40% said they have been given extra responsibilities by their employers.

“This research is perfectly timed and, despite some suggestions of recovery, we expect to see more companies explore alternatives to redundancy in the forseeable future," she said.