Embracing Flexibility: from working hours to employee benefits, flexibility is key to building happier, healthier teams

Change is on the horizon in the UK, as the flexible working bill is on its way to becoming law.

This welcome move by the government is set to revolutionise the way employers handle flexible working, allowing employees to submit requests for flexible hours and locations from day 1 of employment. And requiring employers to respond within 2 months, providing full reasoning for any declined requests.

As the modern workforce increasingly values flexibility as a basic expectation, it’s time for employers to step up their game and embrace this new era. Recent research by Reality HR shows that 41% of businesses are concerned about being able to attract new hires, while 28% are most concerned about their ability to retain existing staff.

Meeting the growing demand for flexibility and benefits can help position businesses as employers of choice in a competitive job market. But true flexibility needs to be managed effectively, and goes beyond just working hours and locations.

Active solutions: empowering employers with efficiency

With this exciting shift in legislation, more than ever employers need a reliable solution to handle flexible working patterns. That’s where HR tech steps in. An effective HR platform can streamline the entire process, providing a hassle-free experience for both employers and employees.

With a centralised platform, you can make it quick and easy to log and track working hours and locations. Whether through timesheets, clocking in and out, or shift patterns, employees can accurately record working hours and set their status to show they’re working remotely – for complete transparency and easy communication across the workforce.

HR teams can then access this information promptly, tracking trends in working hours and locations to monitor the impact on the business.

By fully enabling flexible working where possible, employers can prioritise employee wellbeing and engagement by ensuring their individual needs are acknowledged and addressed.

Beyond working hours: redefining flexibility

As flexibility becomes even more deeply rooted in the modern work culture, employers should already be looking beyond working hours and offering additional flexibility through employee benefits. By offering a choice of valuable benefits, businesses can empower employees to tailor their benefits to their own unique needs. Helping to create a unique employer value proposition that sets them apart in the job market.

Flexibility is not just a buzzword. It’s a way to connect with employees on a deeper, personal level and show them that they matter. Whether it’s selecting the ideal healthcare plan, deciding on additional leave options, or choosing the right mental health support for them, flexibility empowers employees to shape their work-life balance with benefits that are valuable and relevant to their personal lives.

And by allowing employees to evolve their benefits as their needs change, employers demonstrate their commitment to continuous growth and adaptability. Fostering a workplace environment where employees feel valued and supported, and promoting higher levels of engagement and retention.

Caring for employees goes beyond mere lip service. By taking flexibility beyond the legally mandated and allowing employees to tailor their own benefits packages, employers can show they genuinely care about their workforce and their wellbeing, fostering a sense of loyalty and commitment.

Flexibility made simple

Whether it’s flexible working hours, locations or employee benefits, catering to everyone’s individual needs can be a huge administrative burden for HR. If you don’t have the right solutions in place, it can become difficult to know who’s working, where and when. And almost impossible to know which benefits are being selected and used.

Eppione’s HR and employee benefits platform puts flexibility first. Employees can easily submit flexible working requests and log working hours and locations. While HR and team leaders can instantly view trends in working patterns. Keeping your finger on the pulse when it comes to when and where your employees work.

With Eppione, employees can choose from a range of benefits options selected by you, view and manage their flexible benefits allowance, and change their benefits as needed – with a flexible benefits simulator to help them decide. And with our powerful people analytics tool, you can stay in-the-know on which benefits are most popular, which could be replaced with something more valuable, and which demographics may need more relevant options.

All this, all in the same place. For any team, anywhere in the world, on any device.

The future of flexibility

As the UK embraces the new era of flexible working, companies must seize the opportunity to turn it into a competitive advantage. With the power of HR tech, employers can actively manage flexible working patterns, boosting productivity and satisfaction among their workforce.

Embracing flexibility beyond working hours sets a precedent for employee-centric policies and reinforces an employer’s commitment to their team’s wellbeing. With flexible benefits, companies can build a strong employer brand that attracts top talent and retains the best employees for years to come.

It’s time to embrace the future of work with open arms and celebrate the limitless possibilities that flexibility brings to both employees and employers alike. Book a demo to explore how Eppione’s HR & employee benefits platform can help you go flexible, without the hassle.