Q: On my last factory tour an employee said she was struggling with the cost of getting into work. Another was having issues balancing his job with caring for a sick relative at home. We’re doing our best to keep wages in line with inflation but is there anything else I could do to help?
A: This is a big issue at the moment. More than a million people in the UK are on zero-hours contracts, and one in five UK workers are in some form of low-paid or “insecure” work.
The situation was compounded in the pandemic. Today you have office workers on one side – generally better paid and with work flexibility – and people who need to be in the workplace and who are on short-notice contracts with little flexibility.
Good for you in wanting to help. We did a research report recently and that about three-quarters of managers said they wanted to provide more flexible working arrangements, though they don’t always have the power to set these terms.
There are small steps you can take that will make a big difference.
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Be flexible about flexibility
A small amount of flexibility can make a real difference. If people are caring for a child, say, or an elderly parent, these will be regular commitments, so you may be able to plan flexibility into a workplace schedule. The same goes for letting people arrive later or leave early to avoid peak travel costs or congestion. You have to find out, or ask one of your managers to find out, which people have clashes and what could be done to improve that by giving them some flexibility around when they do and don’t come in.
Examine the logistics
For many people, the timing and location of work appointments is super-important. Social care workers who rely on public transport will prefer to have client appointments that are geographically close to one another. This will help them avoid unnecessary and unpaid travel time. Again, a bit of fact-finding from your team could enable you to make a big difference. Knowing someone’s location and/or traveling distances will help to plan what works best for them and for you.
Raise your own skills
Finally, try to develop your own leadership and management capabilities. If you really want to help colleagues, then your ability to listen and be empathetic will be crucial. Try to be inclusive; remember, it’s often women, people from ethnically diverse backgrounds and people with disabilities who are most affected by insecurity and uncertainty in this cost of living crisis. Have regular check-ins asking after their wellbeing; and be alert to any new issues that may be creating additional stress in their lives.
Great management is about listening and taking action.
Ann Francke is chief executive of the Chartered Management Institutettps://www.managers.org.uk/
