The aim of this event was to provide relevant advice to help you encompass flexible working practices in your organisation.

1. Implementing a Flexible Working
Practice in Your Organisation
Presenters: Gordon Millner,
Technical Infrastructure Advisor, JISC RSC-EM
Sustainability Advisor
Rohit Sharma,
Head of ICT Service Delivery, Security and Architectures
New College Nottingham
www.rsc-em.ac.uk
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March 21, 2012 | slide 1

2. Session Objectives – Flexible Working
 To make you think and look at
– Is there a different way of doing things
– What is flexible working
– What technology is available to support flexible working
– What are the external and internal factors that make us
consider it
– Identify some of the benefits and pitfalls
– What do you need to do to support flexible working effectively
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3. What do we mean by flexible working?
 The formal arrangements:
 The right to request flexible working - the eligibility criteria
– Details set out on Business Link website
– http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1073791180&r.l1=1073858787&r.l2=1073858926&r.l3=1073931239&r.s=sc&type=R
 Fill in the Form FW (A) to request flexible working
 You can only reject a flexible working request on a limited number of set
grounds Form FW (C)
 These are:
– planned structural changes
– the burden of additional costs
– a detrimental impact on quality
– the inability to recruit additional staff
– a detrimental impact on performance
– the inability to reorganise work among existing staff
– a detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand
– lack of work during the periods the employee proposes to work

4. What do we mean by flexible working?
 Types of flexible working
 The term flexible working covers flexibility in terms of the hours that are worked and the location and includes the
following:
 Part-time working - Workers are contracted to work less than standard, basic, full-time hours.
 Flexi-time - Workers have the freedom to work in any way they choose outside a set core of hours determined by the
employer.
 Staggered hours - Workers have different start, finish and break times, allowing a business to open longer hours.
 Compressed working hours - Workers can cover their standard working hours in fewer working days.
 Job sharing - One full-time job is split between two workers who agree the hours between them.
 Shift swapping - Workers arrange shifts among themselves, provided all required shifts are covered.
 Self rostering - Workers nominate the shifts they'd prefer, leaving you to compile shift patterns matching their
individual preferences while covering all required shifts.
 Time off in lieu - Workers take time off to compensate for extra hours worked.
 Term-time working - A worker remains on a permanent contract but can take paid/unpaid leave during school
holidays.
 Annual hours - Workers' contracted hours are calculated over a year. While the majority of shifts are allocated, the
remaining hours are kept in reserve so that workers can be called in at short notice as required.
 V-time working - Workers agree to reduce their hours for a fixed period with a guarantee of full-time work when this
period ends.
 Zero-hours contracts - Workers work only the hours they are needed.
 Sabbatical/career break - Workers are allowed to take an extended period of time off, either paid or unpaid.
 Home working/teleworking - Workers spend all or part of their week working from home or somewhere else away
from the employer's premises.

5. What do we mean by flexible working?
 Thinking about the way you and your staff work, making the most of IT to
achieve business and personal objectives
 Use teleconferencing instead of travel to meetings
 Enabling staff to work from home or elsewhere instead of commuting
 Being flexible when work is done .. early or late working or weekends
 Working at Home – normally based at work, but temporarily working at home
 Working from Home – normally based at home
 Working remotely – On location, in the café, in a layby

6. Your reasons for considering flexible working
 A word from Rohit Sharma … for New College Nottingham
 Anyone else want to take the mic … or type in the chat box

7. Business Priority for flexible working
 So what would you say is the highest priority for your organisation in considering flexible working?
– A - to take on board the technology
– B - to save money and improve efficiency
– C - to comply with the law
– D - to reduce environmental impact
Vote Now
Because flexible working does all of the above … and more 
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8. Personal Priority for flexible working
 So what would you say is the highest priority for you personally in considering flexible working?
– A - to take on board the technology and improve your skillset
– B - to save yourself money and make better use of your time
– C - to have better job satisfaction and improve your work/life balance
– D - to reduce your environmental impact
Vote Now
Because flexible working does all of the above … and more 
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9. So a quick question or 2 ….. or 5
Click the tick box if you have had time at home to complete something
important eg. a report, a presentation ?
So what was wrong with doing it at work? Type your reply in the chat box
In your normal working week could you do more of working that way?
Could other staff do more of working that way?
What things are stopping you or your staff doing this? Type your reply in the chat box

10. The Technology
Need to access and share resources
Equipment – PC/Mac, Laptop/Netbook, Tablet devices/Smartphones, scanner,
headset, printer
Connecting and sharing on the organisation’s network
Virtual Private Network (VPN) – connect your computer over the internet with a private,
secure and encrypted extension of the organisation’s network. Your computer is
running the programs.
Remote Desktop (RDP) – connect to a remote computer and use it as though you were
there, so the remote computer is running the programs.
Terminal Services – Similar to RDP but able to handle multiple connections
Cloud Services
Googledocs, Microsoft Live at Edu, Evernote, Dropbox

11. The Technology
 Connecting to people
– Phone, Text and Email
– Voice over IP – Skype, MSN
– Facetime
– Webcam
– Web-conferencing
– Telephone conference calling
– Digital dictation
– Fax
What about the provision of:
Furniture – desk, chair etc
Running costs – additional electricity and heating, phone, broadband, toner/cartridges,
paper
Home and Equipment Insurance

12. External Factors
 Funding / Financial
 Building projects on hold or smaller space available
 Converting rooms to classrooms
 Different curriculum model eg. Blended learning, remote assessors, remote learners, global
market
 Different staffing model … move to temporary or part-time perhaps
 Legislation
– The Employment Equality Regulations
– Employment Rights Act
 From 6 April 2009 the formal right to request flexible working was extended to parents of children 16 or under. This is
in addition to parents of disabled children under 18 and people caring for adults in need of care.
 Environmental
 Pollution
 Traffic congestion
 “Customer power” – staff/students/local community pressures on the organisation
Any others you can think of ? Type your reply in the chat box

13. Internal Factors
 Staffing changes
 Changes in rooming eg. less staff seats, hotdesking, converting rooms to
teaching rooms, new build/refurb reducing space, to reduce energy costs
 Peak periods eg. enrolments, register creation, returns to SFA/YPLA, marking,
assessment returns to exam boards
 Global marketplace – Different timezones may require admin/technical support
 Similar for blended learning – may require 24/7 support
 Car parking reductions
 Improving the recruitment of good staff and retention of same
 Need to be improving staff morale
 Wanting to improve Work/Life balance for staff
 Someone requests to work flexibly
Any others you can think of ? Type your reply in the chat box

14. Supporting effective flexible working
 Organisational
– Proper H&S procedures and risk assessment, self assessment of work area
(photo/drawing) – same as at work
– Proper Data Protection procedures in place – same as at work
– Flexible working agreement needed to outline how flexible working will work for the
individual
– Working Practices may need to be examined and changed – eg. HR approval,
Union approval, legal working regulations compliance
– Technically effective and speedy connection to resources
– Technical support available, 24/7 perhaps
– Training for managers supporting flexible working staff
– Training for flexible working staff
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15. Supporting effective flexible working
 People orientated
– TRUST– lose the micro-management, more reliance on trust and professionalism – THIS WILL
BE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE
– Lead by example
– Selecting appropriate staff, whether it’s by attitude, motivation, choice and/or job role
• Some people are better working alone, some are better working with colleagues
• Some job roles are better for working alone
– More women are also returning back to work after maternity leave, so the workforce continues
to change.
– Are work targets necessary?
– Move to a results-based ethos, not a time-based system
– What are the expectations from both parties eg. time, location and contact frequency
– Being inclusive in organisation and department communication and activities (eg. training, social
events)
– Being inclusive in promotion opportunities
– Perhaps staff could be in at least one day a week
– Have an effective communication medium eg. CRM, Intranet, blog, diary, etc for handover, for
news
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16. Resources on Flexible Working
 Business Link - Flexible working - the law and best practice
 http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?r.l1=1073858787&r.l2=1073858926&r.s=tl&topicId=1073931239
 BIS - Flexible working: the right to request and the duty to consider
 http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/employment/employment-legislation/employmen
 ActNow Flex Project – although a Cornish project, the resources will still be relevant. Has toolkit,
documentation, and useful resources
 http://www.flexible-working.org/
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17. Any more Q’s
Gordon Millner
Advisor - Technical Infrastructure
JISC Regional Support Centre East Midlands
T: 01509 618120
M: 07811 241451
gordon.millner@rsc-em.ac.uk
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