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Flexible working

How can businesses reduce presenteeism? What types of flexible working are most popular? Are side hustles detrimental to businesses?

Here, experts explore the opportunities of flexible working.

Wow bees

Side hustle economy

Side Hustle

Henley's research found that side hustles - a small business or secondary job alongside someone's main career - contributed £72bn a year to the UK economy. In a cost of living crisis, they are growing in popularity.

Our experts and the white paper have been used in news stories exploring the side hustle:

Read our research by clicking on the image to the right.

Flexible working insights

Four-day week, side hustles, hybrid working - see what the experts have to say.

In practice: How to run a successful flexible working trial

This article is adapted from one that appeared in HR News in June 2022.

Implementing a new policy in a company is not without risks, and our research highlights the considerations companies should take to make sure any four-day week or flexible working policy is a success for both employees and employers.

  1. Plan ahead - Any programme must have clear guidelines and management processes to maintain workplace harmony. For example, with a four-day week policy, be clear on who decides which day off an employee gets, and define whether you are implementing a compression of hours or a reduction of hours to ensure consistency and fairness
  2. Start slow - Based on our experience, we recommend that companies interested in implementing the policy start slow. With the four-day week, companies could begin with a reduction of work hours initially. Dr Rita Fontinha says, "One could follow the example of the recent trials in Iceland where working hours were reduced with significant positive implications for employees and employers. Businesses could assess how reducing working hours is working for them and consider moving progressively to a four-day working week."
  3. Start small - Starting with a particular department or subsidiary for a limited time can be a good way to test the water and assess the impact of a flexible working policy, making sure that managers and employees are all on the same page.
  4. Keep track of outcomes - Carefully collate outcomes to illustrate benefits. This will help the wider roll out that is now happening in some companies. Our research found that 40% of employees surveyed indicated they would be put off by the idea altogether if their employer didn’t provide adequate help in managing the implementation.