The future is flexible
Author: David Weir, Tile Hill Interim Management
It wasn’t that long ago that a standard 9 to 5 day was the norm. And unless you worked in the emergency services there was very little deviation from that. Yet, in a decade attitudes towards flexible working have been transformed – businesses are increasingly recognising the benefits of giving staff more flexibility as well as the positive impact on their bottom line.
Technology has helped drive this change, allowing people to work remotely yet link into office systems, calls and phone conferences easily. As long as you have an internet connection, there’s nothing to stop you sitting in the park or café, sipping a latte while you write your latest report!
The Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices has highlighted the need for flexible working with the review’s author, Matthew Taylor, writing: “Let me make clear that the review team thinks flexibility is a good thing, in fact we need more.”
Mr Taylor isn’t alone – companies across the UK are increasingly looking to adopt flexible workforce models whether that’s for permanent employees or by bringing in interim managers, contractors and frelancers with specific knowledge and skills for a set period of time.
The standard 9 to 5 is almost seen as outdated and unable to keep up with the demands and needs created by globalisation and our 24/7 society. Businesses have woken up to the fact agile workforces can actually increase productivity and bring expertise into their business they might otherwise not have access to.
About the author:
David Weir is a leading figure in the UK Interim Management industry and is Founder and Director of Tile Hill – a specialist provider of interim management and independent consultants to the public sector. Having previously grown and led one of the UK’s largest interim management teams at a former PLC, David has personally delivered on hundreds of assignments, appointing board level interim managers across a range of functions, nationally and in December 2015 he was awarded “Business Manager of the Year” in the Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s IRP Awards.
