Thames Valley: Flexible working 'makes life better for employers and employees'

New research commissioned by global medical technology company BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) has shown that both employers and employees in Reading and its catchment area can benefit from flexible working.

BD is consolidating its former operations in Oxford and Basingstoke at a site in Winnersh, having identified the Reading area as its ideal, new location.  The company commissioned research on flexible working among Reading area businesses as the company operates a flexible working policy and was keen to test how such flexibility was valued and appreciated.

BD commissioned independent market research company, MindMetre, to canvass senior managers at 300 companies in the Reading, Berks, catchment (40 minute drive time) online between September 2016 and February 2017.

The research – which canvassed views from 300 businesses in the area – clearly identifies the major contribution that flexible working makes to employee productivity and concentration. This is a key benefit for employers with flexible working policies, encouraging improved quality and quantity of professional output from employees who work this way.

However, the research also shows that the benefits of flexible policies works both ways, providing improved work-life balance for staff and consequently increasing motivation. Not only can employees avoid travel at the busiest commuting hours, they can also adjust the way their working day is scheduled, perhaps making time to take children to and from school, or fitting a regular exercise regime into the day outside of peak hours. Such work-life flexibility benefits employees from junior roles to top management. The resulting increase in staff motivation helps deliver higher levels of staff retention, higher quality of thinking, action and ultimately improved commercial results.

Finally, around one-third of businesses also consider that flexible working directly contributes to staff health and physical wellbeing, reducing stress levels to contribute to a healthier life.  Improvements in both work-life balance and physical healthiness means that companies offering flexible working policies are more likely to attract the best talent, which in turn helps organisations stay at the competitive forefront of their field. 

Mike Fairbourn, vice-president and general manager, UK & Ireland at BD, commented: “Offering a level of flexible working, where appropriate to the role, really is becoming the hallmark of a modern company. In our business, we are far more interested in high quality outputs from our employees than we are in simply the number of hours they have been in the office. We are operating in the ‘knowledge economy,’ and we are firmly convinced that flexible working is one key factor in helping us to attract and retain the talent we need to forge our future success. Indeed, the policy is already paying dividends as we recruit for a number of positions in preparation for our move to Winnersh.”