November 2023

Welcome to your latest issue of HR Gamechangers, celebrating creative people managers, sharing knowledge and providing updates on the fast-moving world of flex. Read on for an interview with the inspirational Jane O’Mahoney, Deputy Director of Workforce and Transformation at the House of Commons, whose own flexible working journey started in 2009. Find out about the House of Commons’ onsite health and wellbeing booth, and more…

Is your organisation considering a four-day week model? We look at how it can work in large and complex organisations, and why pilots are a low-risk way to innovate, with potentially big gains. We believe that well-researched, well-scoped pilots are a vital tool for those of us who want to change workplaces for the better.

Are you thinking ahead to Day One Flex? We all know the legislation kicks in next year, but what do HR teams need to do to prepare? Our Consultancy Director Amy Butterworth joined the Minister for Small Business, Kevin Hollinrake on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, to advise… listen again.

Finally, we are delighted to tell you that we have a new Chief Executive at Timewise, Claire Campbell. Claire is a former civil service HR Director, where she led on resourcing and talent for DWP and DECC. She has a Masters in Occupational Psychology, is a Fellow of the CIPD, has been a part of Timewise for years and is passionate about using job design to create fairer, healthier workplaces. What’s more, she works four days a week herself. See her opinion piece on the flexible jobs market, below.

A huge thank you to those who have nominated themselves or colleagues to be featured in our future newsletters – please join the movement and nominate anyone you think we should be speaking to.

SPOTLIGHT ON...

Jane O’Mahoney, Deputy Director of Workforce Transformation at the House of Commons

Jane has worked for Parliament for 33 years across a range of roles. She currently sits within the People and Culture team.

If you could change one thing about flex…

“…I’d change the perception held by some, that working from home means taking your foot off the pedal. Just because you are in a different location doesn’t mean you are working with greater ease or at a slower pace.”

Jane’s top tips on rolling out a pro-flex approach

"We are a true multi-generational, diverse workforce. We have excellent rates of retention - the senior Chef on our catering team will have worked at Parliament for 50 years next year. My tips for success are:

• One size fits all, fits no-one. I am passionate about this.
• When presented with challenges, try always to see the art of the possible. Have a vision, stay focused and bring others with you.
• Build your skills of empathy. That’s what it is all about. Take the time to listen to people - and you’ll reach a new level of understanding. Treat people with care, see their value and try your best to understand their circumstances - and you get the best from them."

Personal flex

"My own personal flex journey started in 2009, when I became a single parent unexpectedly. I had to recalibrate, keeping the full-time work - being the single earner - but also providing care for my son.

"I needed full-time work but flex around the edges, in essence. And that is what I got. We agreed a compressed work week of 4 days, with 1 day working from home. That part of my change involved moving away from London, to Warwickshire - and yet I got to keep my job that I loved. This was agreed and supported - and a complete life raft to me.

"I have worked in 9 different jobs in the organisation since - but that flexible pattern has stayed. Post pandemic we are required to be on the estate 40% of the week, so now I travel to work 2 days on site rather than 3. It really works for me and countless others."

THE FULL STORY

Parliament has a diverse workforce of 3,500 people, with around a third working in Estate-based roles i.e. onsite for most of the time, ensuring its smooth and effective running. Example of Estate-based roles include the doorkeepers working in the Chambers, catering staff, cleaners, 24/7 security personnel, maintenance teams, onsite digital providers, a vote office, Hansard (the publishing facility) cashiers, visitor assistants, and the education team.

What is it like to work at the Palace of Westminster?

“We are really keen on Parliament being an inclusive and welcoming workplace. In the Estate-based community we have a number of under-represented groups. People come to work here from the length and breadth of the country, but many of our frontline staff live closer by and come from the diverse communities within Westminster and around.”

Roots and shoots

“I was working in the Civil Service when my boss showed me an ad about working within Parliament. I have always found the building iconic. I remember thinking: ‘Imagine that being your office!’ That was the initial draw for me. But what’s kept me here has been really interesting work, knowing what I am doing is important and having the pleasure of working with a brilliant community of diverse colleagues.”

How does flexible working ‘work’ at the Houses of Parliament?

“Initially, we undertook a hybrid working pilot. Then we took the decision that each business area should determine its own percentage of site-based time. We truly support hybrid working here. On the Estate-based roles there is definitely still more work to be done - as with most frontline workforces around the UK. We include ourselves amongst the UK employers who are working hard to figure this out. There is an understanding that their roles are tied to the estate, though there is the appetite for more flex where possible, and we are looking at this. Our guiding principle is to aim for fairness in all things.”

What are you most proud of?

“I am proud to represent the interests of our core frontline staff, and to have raised understanding around their needs and challenges. Our Estate-based community are at the heart of our Inclusion and Diversity strategy. ?And we have worked hard to understand their full experiences in the round.

“Many of our frontline staff work entirely behind the scenes. We have done a lot of work on making their lives and work seen and understood, and on co-creating solutions together. The Clerk of the House of Commons, who is our most senior leader, sponsors this work and has really backed and supported it personally.

“I am also proud that this approach won The Inclusion Award within our own internal House Values Awards. You are put forward for this award by colleagues, so it feels very special.

“Everything we do is underpinned by the ethos of ‘supporting everyone to thrive’. And we do this in the face of working in a very challenging environment – it is all at once, where legislation happens, a living museum, a symbol of Britain, part-construction site, a major tourist attraction, a 24/7 employer - the list goes on. We stage huge events, such as the lying in state of The Queen. Everything must be seamless, perfect. But we do not compromise on our values for our staff, nor on our desire to be an exemplar of modern working practice.”

Listening influences policy

“When we introduced hybrid working, we encouraged the set up of ‘Team Charters’ to ensure an equitable approach, and make teams aware of others’ working patterns. We run Listening Circles - ways we can intentionally engage with frontline workers to understand how their shifts and patterns work with their lives, or cause difficulties. How much notice those on shifts get, versus how much they actually need to plan childcare, etc. From these, we now have an Estate and Hybrid Working Policy, created this year, which sets an organisational commitment for all staff to have the opportunity to develop and train inside of working hours. There won’t be the expectation to catch up on emails outside of hours, after the training.

“Thanks to the Listening Circles we also have brilliant support in place for financial wellbeing, neo-natal leave, menopause and stress management.”

Bringing it all together

“We think more roundly about health and wellbeing too. We have an onsite gym, and a fantastic catering team who offer healthy meals. We are about to launch ParliNet – a replacement for our intranet with all employee policies easily accessible. We also have a physical lifestyle and health kiosk - a booth where you can go and take your blood pressure, your weight and establish more about your health and wellbeing. Some people work really odd hours here and we want everyone to have access to the tools they need to live happy, healthy lives. This also came from the Listening Circles.”

Don’t shut down four-day week trials, do more

Pilots allow organisations to test and develop innovative workplace solutions in a low-risk way, before committing to roll out more widely. There should be more, not less.

The decision by South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) to?trial a four-day working week?during 2023, and to extend it to include refuse workers, has created a flurry of comment – not all of it positive. Critics including the TaxPayers’ Alliance have blasted it as?“simply unacceptable”, and the local government minister, Lee Rowley, backed by Michael Gove, has asked the council to?“end your experiment immediately.”

So, are they right? Unsurprisingly, we don’t think so.

As?we’ve noted previously?the four-day working week is a hot topic in the flexible working sphere. 4-Day Week Global’s six-month UK pilot involved 61 companies, and produced?encouraging results. And we know from our discussions that other organisations, including other councils, have been considering their own trials.

Continue reading…

Interesting Reads

• Analysis from the Work Foundation and the CMI, Managing Insecurity: The role of good management
• MoneyWeek reports on how small businesses can retain staff in a competitive job market
• Many people would take a pay cut for more flexible working and shorter hours
• The pace of flexible work change is slowing, opinion piece by CEO Claire Campbell
• Fawcett Society says the lack of good quality flexible working opportunities, keeps the gender pay gap wide
• Simon Cowell shuns five-day week

Heads Up

5 December 2023: Webinar to launch new Timewise research, A Question of Time, looking at what’s happening to part-time work in the UK. Register here.

8 December 2023: HR Innovator Conference & Expo in London, exploring developments in HR innovation and the future of work.

17 January 2024: Closing date for ACAS’s consultation on handling requests for a predictable working pattern

Over to you

We welcome your feedback and thoughts on this newsletter - is there anything you would particularly like to see in the next newsletter? Let us know!

With best wishes,

The Timewise Team

e. [email protected] | ? t. 020 7633 4444