Jessica O'ConnorThe CIPD has welcomed the House of Lords’ Home-based Working Committee’s report ‘Is working from home working?’, highlighting the positive role that home and hybrid working can play in helping people access and remain in employment – while warning that flexibility must be tailored to individual and business needs.
Claire McCartney, policy and practice manager at the CIPD, who gave evidence to the committee, said home working “can enable organisations to attract and retain from a broader pool of talent, supporting people to better manage health conditions while working, and enabling people to perform at their best.”
She added that the CIPD “welcomes the committee’s recognition of the role that home and hybrid working can have in supporting people to access and remain in work, particularly disabled people and those with long-term health conditions.”
However, McCartney cautioned that there is “no one-size-fits-all model” and that organisations “will need to decide what works for their business, teams and individuals.”
While CIPD research has revealed that home working can deliver benefits such as reduced sickness absence and improved performance, it can also “come with some potential mental and physical health risks, so employers must balance flexibility with opportunities for in-person connection.”
She said: “Training and support for line managers to effectively manage home and hybrid workers is also important, covering performance management and wellbeing.”
McCartney also emphasised that many employees do not have the option to work from home.
She concluded: “It’s also important to recognise that many workers in frontline roles, like retail or the NHS, don’t have the option to work from home.
“Employers should consider a range of flexible options that can benefit their business and their staff, such as flexitime, compressed hours, job-sharing and term-time working.”
