28/07/2011

REC discusses benefits of flexible working with Business Secretary

Representatives from the REC met with Dr Vincent Cable and leading employers at the launch of the Demos 'Reinventing the Workplace' report last week.

The Demos report makes the case for increased flexibility within UK workplaces and the Government is currently looking into the pros and cons of extending the right the request flexible working. The assumption is that flexible working options are an increasingly important 'selling point' for employers seeking to attract high calibre staff.

Reviewing some of the messages from the Demos launch event, Tom Hadley, the REC's Director of Policy and Professional Services, said: "We are fully in favour of workplace flexibility - the recruitment industry is an engine room of the UK's flexible labour market.

"As well as focusing on the working patterns of permanent employees, the debate on workplace flexibility must hone in on the benefits that temporary workers, contractors and interim managers provide to UK businesses.

"The challenge for employers of having a strong enough pool of skilled staff to fill shifts, often at very short notice, is one of the key rationales for using agency staff. We will be launching our own Flexible Work Commission to feed into this debate and to quantify the benefits that flexible resourcing models generate."