No Guarantee of Flexible Working for Employees in 2023

The latest webinar delivered by JVP Group’s CEO Cath Harrison, and employment law specialist Elissa Thursfield of Hroes, The Virtual Workplace, was popular with over 100 HR professionals joining the event. The insights and discussion covered a range of significant HR and employment law developments that are set to be a challenge for employers in 2023, from the Right to Strike, Flexible Working and Holiday Pay, amongst others.

Experienced employment lawyer and HR specialist Elissa, delved straight into the new laws soon to be introduced around flexible working. She explained that when the new legislation comes into place, she can see there being a flurry of requests from employees demanding flexible working. But that it’s important for employers to remember that employees only have the right to request flexible working, not to be entitled to it automatically.

Recent studies show that prior to the pandemic, only 8% of companies had flexible workplace policies in place – whereas today, 62% of employees say that their company has implemented at least some degree of flexible working.

During the webinar the attendees were asked to reflect on their feelings towards the key topics.

• With regards to the proposed changes in the flexible working legislation, 56% agreed with the anticipated changes and believe it’s needed to reflect the transformation in how people want to work today.
• Whilst more than 50% stated that they would need to reflect on the potential changes in Employment Law before finalising their hiring plans for 2023.

Talent attraction specialist Cath shared key insights on the current recruitment landscape, along with her top three tips for attracting talent in this challenging market.

• Treat your job adverts as a marketing campaign and make them stand out from the crowd, as you’ll need to show potential applicants what makes your company a great place to work.
• Leave no stone unturned and open up the talent pool reach for your vacancies by targeting passive candidates as well as those that are proactively seeking opportunities.
• Be aware that the current candidate market is moving very fast so there is an urgent need to review and progress applications quickly, there is no time to snooze with the selection process.

Cath comments “The feedback from the event has been superb, which is not a surprise given so many legal changes on the horizon to navigate and the recruitment marketing continuing to be challenging. We love partnering with such highly respected and knowledgeable professionals for events we host, ensuring our clients and other employers gain valuable knowledge that will make a positive impact on workforce decisions ”

Elissa commented “It was great to see so many HR professionals at our webinar. It is critical that changes to legislations in the workplace are fully understood by those who represent the interests of both employers and employees. Whilst the implications of Brexit remain unclear, in terms of employment legislation, Hroes will continue to provide insights to JVP Group customers. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to attend and engaged with the session”.