5 responses from the Newspage community

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Sarah Loates
Director at Loates HR Consultancy
“The taste of furlough and flexible working freedoms has resulted in employees adopting a ‘martini attitude’ to work on their terms. "As we emerge from the cocoon of lockdown, homeworking, previously a discretionary benefit, has metamorphosed into a right in the mind of employees. "As employers wrestle with balancing business needs and the demands of their workforces, collaborative communication is critical to delivering a solution that works for everyone.”
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Kate Underwood
Managing Director / HR Director at Kate Underwood HR and Training
"As someone who works with lots of small businesses, there has been a huge array of alert_responses to this. At the moment, many are opting to work in a hybrid way and will review the situation in September to help maintain some control and give their teams stability. "The social aspect is needed and, especially for areas such as sales, being in an office can help to motivate teams."
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Dr Shungu Hilda M'gadzah
Consultant Psychologist at Inclusion Psychologists Limited
"The pandemic has forced us into new ways of working and while many businesses recognise that homeworking makes sense on many levels, the changes are slow. Many are beginning to adopt hybrid models, e.g. 2 days at home and 3 days in the office. The attraction of lower business overheads is forcing many businesses to review their ways of working. While change seems inevitable, adapting to change is never easy."
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Gary Parsons
Managing Director at Talk Staff
Employees have been asking for flexibility for a long time and finally, most employers are listening. It doesn’t come without complication though and we now need to embrace the new challenge of managing both side by side. To make the future a success, employers need to quickly develop their skills in managing performance and giving employees the freedom to make their own decisions.
Helen Llewellyn
Director at Infinity Wellbeing
"The shift to increased homeworking means businesses are having to take a more personalised approach to management and wellbeing support. "Some people love WFH, others hate it and many will be in the middle. The difficulty for managers is that it's harder to spot changes in people to indicate that they're struggling. Stigma around asking for help still exists. Confidential and proactive wellbeing support is needed now, more than ever."