Similarly, hours of cover for certain services can be increased. Flexitime in particular helps with poor time-keeping and absenteeism. Another advantage cited in the report is reduced stress levels. A large percentage of SMEs employ fewer than 50 people and small companies tend not to have the same support as large organisations. Because the economy is booming, companies are chasing their tails, running to keep up with demand.
Employers are really interested in finding out about it.
Companies are putting in work arrangements to facilitate home arrangements. One of the main obstacles has proved to be the information gap. The research indicates that, despite the fact that 53 per cent of the 133 surveyed companies in the SME sector operate such policies, the overall number of employees availing of such arrangements is small. There is the potential to introduce these policies to a broader spread of employees, he says, but first employers need to be pro-active and target men too. Family-friendly working arrangements are still in a kind of limbo.