HSA backs change in law for UK workers

The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has recently announced that is has found less than half of UK employers made flexible working available, compared to 90% in mainland Europe.

Healthplan provider HSA introduced a flexible working policy in 2003, which now operates across the entire Simplyhealth Group, incorporating 9 companies. Lee Nicholls comments on how and why this scheme has been so successful to the company, and why he would encourage other companies to follow their lead:

“HSA introduced flexitime 4 years ago and now has over 200 different working patterns which include a range of part-time, flexitime and home-based working. Although it may sound like a logistical nightmare, a flexible working policy can be straightforward to set up and it has a number of benefits to both employees and the company as a whole.

“At present, flexible working is largely seen as a benefit for parents and carers but if the EOC is successful in its bid to change the laws surrounding flexible working, the entire UK workforce could be affected. At HSA, anyone can request flexible working arrangements and can be utilised for anything from picking kids up from school, to walking a dog at lunchtime and to maintaining a regular fitness regime.

“Workplace stress is estimated to be responsible for 25% of sickness absence every year. HSA’s Work/Life Balance Policy recognises that employees have responsibilities outside of work and that occasionally trying to juggle work with these responsibilities can cause stress and worry. Our staff are the most important resource we have, therefore it is vital we offer them as much help as possible when it comes to flexible working. We find that employees who have a happy and healthy work/life balance add value to the company in terms of productivity and levels of customer service.

“With the number of new mothers in the UK working flexibly rising from 17% in 2002 to 47% today, there is no doubt the Government has gone some way to allow people to better balance their work and home life. However, findings from the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) show when it comes to flexitime, the UK’s employers are lagging behind other European businesses. The benefits of our flexible working policy have been clear at HSA and now across the Simplyhealth Group, and we would encourage other companies to consider implementing something similar.”