Flexible & Part Time Working: 30% more applicants and a 20% increase in female applicants for senior positions

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged our thinking and beliefs on how we work. One of the core themes Vodafone employees have told us, is that they would like more flexible working as we transition beyond the current crisis. Employees cite benefits such as reduced commuting times, more quality time to concentrate and focus on work tasks and a better work life balance as some of the main reasons as to why they want to adopt hybrid working.

 Flexible working is broader than just choosing where to work and also covers when people work and the hours they work, albeit the most common form of flexible working is part-time working (CIPD 2019).

In 2020, only 5.7% of employees worked part-time in the Czech Republic, which compares to an 18% average in the EU, 28% in Germany almost 50% in the Netherlands (Eurostat 2020).

For organisations and employees, the case for expanding part-time working is strong:

Attraction of talent

• 9 out of 10 job seekers want increased flexibility, be it remote working (60%), flexi-time (54%) or reduced hours (26%) (Time Wise 2020).
• 92% of young people want to work flexibly (UK Commission for Employment & Skills 2014).

Improved engagement, job satisfaction, retention and loyalty

• Flexible workers have a higher level of job satisfaction, commitment, and are more likely to increase discretionary effort compared to those who do not work flexibly (Working Families & Bright Horizons 2018).
• Flexible workers are more likely to be more engaged leading to improved performance and higher retention (Institute for Employment Studies & The Work Foundation 2018).

Reduced absenteeism and improved well-being

• Flexible working can reduce absence rates as it allows employees to manage disability and long-term health conditions, and caring responsibilities, as well as supporting their mental health and stress (CIPD 2018).

External findings chime with Vodafone’s own research which showed that 86% of those who managed part-time employees had had a positive experience, with 60% indicating that their experience had been “amazing”. External focus groups run in March 2021 also confirmed this sentiment, with feedback from external candidates overwhelmingly supporting requests for more part-time jobs, especially among female candidates. 

However, the most striking research on flexible working has come from the UK Governments Behavioural Insights Unit. In 2020, research completed on flexible working indicated that:

• Job adverts offering flexible working attracted up to 30% more applicants (research study with Indeed global job site).
• There was a 20% increase in the number of female applicants to senior roles (research study with Zurich).

Building on these insights and to increase accessibility of roles, Vodafone Czech has launched a new initiative and will indicate that all roles can be completed on a flexible, part-time, reduced hours or on a job share basis, and this will be reflected in all future job postings.

Currently, around 10% of Vodafone Czech employees work on a part-time basis (double the Czech Republic average), with the onus on the employee to make the case for part-time working. The new approach flips the switch and changes the default setting to signal that all roles can be completed on a part-time or flexible working basis. Hiring managers can still choose to opt-out but will need to provide a business case stating why the role cannot be performed on a part-time basis. The aim is normalise part-time working, making it easier for managers to attract a wider and more diverse set of candidates.

Embracing flexible working requires a mind-set shift. In 2020 Vodafone began to train and equip people managers with the digital resilience skills and tools to lead in a hybrid world. Taking the flexi concept beyond location to include part-time working, further reinforces the commitment to flexible and agile working, elements already built into parental, maternity and career policies.

COVID-19 is fundamentally challenging our traditional approaches to work; the tricky part will be ensuring that managers have the skills and tools to embrace and lead in a rapidly changing wold.

I’d love to hear any advice, tips or experiences you may have on part-time working, so please drop me a line.

Link to Vodafone Czech press release

• https://www.vodafone.cz/nejen-pro-media/tiskove-zpravy/vodafone-bude-veskera-pracovni-mista-nabizet-na-ca/

Useful links

• CIPD (2019) Flexible working: the business case
• Clarke, C., & Grant, C. (2020). Digital resilience: A competency framework for agile workers. In Grant, C., & Russell, E. (Eds.), Agile working and wellbeing in the digital age. London: Palgrave Macmillan
• Time Wise (2017): Flexible Working: A Talent Imperative
• Government Equalities Office (2020): Changing the default: a field trial with Zurich Insurance to advertise all jobs as part time