Flexible working means giving staff more control over when and where they work. Instead of a fixed day in the office, staff can adjust their hours or location to fit around the other parts of their life.
| Form | What it means | Who it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Flexible working hours | Staff choose when to start and finish, as long as they complete their agreed total. | Staff who study part-time at college, or who need to attend regular hospital appointments. |
| Remote working | Working from home or another location. It depends on modern technologies such as cloud storage, video conferencing and live chat. | Staff who live far from the office and have few bus or train services, or who find crowded rush-hour travel difficult. |
| Job share | Two people share one full-time role, each working part of the week. | Staff who want to work only three days a week, such as those preparing to retire. |
For staff with caring commitments, such as looking after a relative, flexible hours, remote working and job share mean work can fit around those responsibilities. For staff with health needs, the same three options help: flexible hours avoid a tiring commute at peak times, remote working removes the journey altogether, and job share cuts down the hours without giving up the role. More people can therefore do the job, which makes the workplace more inclusive.
Sometimes workplace inclusivity means the physical workspace itself, such as the building and what is inside it. Remote working is not part of that, because it changes where staff work rather than the workspace they use.
Pearson BTEC Digital Information Technology · Accessibility