Jarred Consulting

Hybrid working rose sharply in 2022, long after the end of the Covid-19 restrictions. It’s a trend that’s clearly here to stay, so being clued up about rights and responsibilities should be a priority for any leader, manager or business owner.

You can’t use the phrases interchangeably

It’s worrying how often they are. In brief, a hybrid agreement outlines:

• Hours and place of work.
• Employer responsibilities with regard to equipment, work stations and Health and Safety needs.
• The requirement to attend the workplace.

And considers:

• How and when people need to collaborate.
• Office space.
• The nature of your business.

It’s something that can be offered as part of a larger employee experience package and forms part of a company’s strategy.

So how is that different from flexible?

This is a specific legal request made by an employee to their employer for things like:

• Condensed working hours.
• Staggered hours and job-sharing.
• Moving from full-time to part-time.
• Annualised hours.

Flexible working can be requested for a wide range of reasons and its aim is to level the playing field and ensure fairness, stability, clarity and inclusion. Flexible working can only be refused on statutory grounds.

What this means for you

The shocks to corporate culture brought about by Covid 19 brought into sharp relief the challenges of balancing human and business needs. Making health, family and community a priority over profit led many business leaders and employees to wonder whether things couldn’t be done differently on a more permanent basis. When the process of developing a working environment for everyone is underpinned with accountability and best practices, everyone benefits. Don’t feel like you need to navigate constantly morphing models of work on your own. We’re here to make sure your HR department is well-tooled-up, your leadership is onboard and your teams are performing at their best, wherever they’re logging in from. Drop us a message via the link to book a call with Kerry to take your first steps.