Flexible working makes sense for small firms

by Rudy Scheinost

Small firms have to struggle with not having the big investment and backing which their larger competitors have and one way to counteract that disadvantage is by embracing things like flexible working.

Giving existing workers and new recruits the chance to have more control over their working hours means firms will have happier employees and therefore more productive ones.

This is an opinion backed by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), which believes that because smaller firms have fewer employees they need them to be flexible and not constrained by rigid and draconian working patterns.

Stephen Alambritis, spokesperson for the FSB, said: "In small firms, part-time work and flexible working is commonsense. It fits the needs and demands of staff and employers, and staff are more productive if they are able to have a say in their hours of work."

Embracing flexible working will help jobseekers, who will show potential employers that they are committed to doing what it takes to help their company progress.