IT’S pantomime time already! Harlow District Council’s wonderful. Oh no it isn’t! Oh yes it is!

You think it’s too early for pantomime? Rehearsals are well under way, I’ll have you know, and Harlow Playhouse is gearing itself up for the best season ever. I may be a panto fan but I’m also a trade unionist so I’m taking an interest in the Council’s changes to …… working arrangements. 

You must have noticed that the 9-to-5 working day was consigned to history well before the pandemic, replaced by a myriad work patterns, generally improving the work-life balance for employees while maintaining employee commitment. Staff can request flexible working, a request which must be considered seriously by employers. Such arrangements have increased over the last few years. (Obviously, not all jobs allow the possibility of flexibility.)

Where possible, hybrid working (a mix of in-office and remote, usually from home) is operated by 83% of organisations, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, while 40% say it increases production. Flexible workers benefit from being able to organise their workload, motivated by a sense of relative control. Not having to travel saves time, money and stress. Work hours can fit around other commitments such as walking the dog and the demands of the school day. 

Drawbacks exist. Distractions can disrupt the workflow: on the other hand, the computer’s  proximity can tempt the worker to continue long after the working day, thereby destroying that work-life balance. Stress within the family can result, ironically. 

Sometimes, a sense of isolation and exclusion can be a concern: any working arrangement, if it’s to succeed, necessitates sound communication between employee and employer and a healthy, open, trusting relationship. It requires staff commitment and skilled leadership. 

Flexibility helps more people work and stay in work. Staff are more inclined to ‘go the extra mile’, to derive greater job satisfaction. Such arrangements, importantly, encourage inclusion and diversity. The CBI Employment Trends survey found that 99% of businesses surveyed see a flexible workplace as vital or key to competitiveness, investment and job creation. 

The hybrid model looks like the ideal compromise. It combines the freedoms and advantages of remote working with the benefits of being with colleagues in the office, able to interact/participate in decision-making. Two days at home or elsewhere and three in the office would suit everybody, surely? Well, I’m glad you agree … and so does Harlow District Council: that exact working arrangement was introduced at the beginning of this very month. Oh, but the Council doesn’t want to stop there, declaring an intention to impose a four-day office working week from January, puzzlingly. Why?

(I’m not talking about a four-day working week, by the way. We’re nowhere near that!)

So ….what do you think now? Harlow Council’s wonderful? Oh……