Community Integrated Care is planning to introduce more flexible working for frontline staff after finding its four-day working week initiative improved employees’ wellbeing and helped boost recruitment.
The charity initially introduced a shorter working week to over 300 employees in its finance, human resources and other support functions in June 2021 as part of changes made during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It recently expanded the offer to operational leaders and is now planning more flexible working for its frontline workers.
With around 5,500 employees and an income of £142m, Community Integrated Care is one of the largest social care charities in the UK.
Boosting workforce’s wellbeing and productivity
Teresa Exelby, chief people officer at Community Integrated Care, said implementing a four-day working week was critical to increase workforce retention and attraction.
She said: “The coronavirus pandemic opened up a world of possibilities for all employers when it came to flexibility. To be a really compelling place to work and attract the very best talent, we knew we had to adapt and respond to the expectations of job seekers in the market.
“Our main drivers were to support people to achieve a healthier work-life balance, in turn, boosting the wellbeing and productivity of our workforce.”
A positive impact
One year on, the charity said that its 'employee net promoter score', which measures how likely employees are to recommend an organisation as a good place to work, has increased by 21 points among the people taking part in the scheme.
Exelby said: “We’re delighted with the impact the initiative is having on our people. The feedback we’re getting on the ground is incredible, with colleagues reporting a huge shift in their ability to switch off and re-energise, as well as being able to better balance their home and work lives.”
She added: “Our next step is to look at how we can use these principles to explore flexibility for even more of our colleagues, especially those in frontline operational roles.”
Earlier this week, more than 70 companies and organisations and 3,300 workers across over 30 sectors announced that they are piloting a scheme in which employees will receive 100% of their pay for 80% of their usual hours but commit to delivering 100% of their normal productivity as part of the world’s largest ever trial of a four-day working week.
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