‘Smarter working’ could reduce long hours, report claims

Working smarter, not longer, hours is the key to improving employee satisfaction and productivity, a new report has claimed.

The joint report, compiled by the Department of Trade and Industry, the Trade Union Congress and Confederation of British Industry, examined how firms can improve working patterns and tackle the long working hours culture in the UK.

British workers currently work the longest hours in Europe – 43.6 hours per week, compared with 40.3 hours on the continent.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Employment Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said: “Changing working patterns can benefit everyone – employers, workers and their families. Creating a culture where we work smarter rather than longer, is key to improving worker satisfaction, as well as improving competitiveness, productivity and retaining skilled workers.”

The report highlights examples from major companies, including BT, Accenture, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Eversheds, which have introduced measures in an attempt to ‘modernise’ working practices. These include: part-time working; flexitime; job-sharing; and annualised hours.

The report said that the companies had enjoyed a number of benefits, including enhanced customer service, retention of skilled staff, improved morale and less absenteeism, as a result of the new measures.

However, the report said that businesses needed to ensure that they had “active input” from their workforce, when it came to considering and introducing any changes.

Commenting on the report, John Cridland, Deputy Director-General of the CBI, said: "Maximising company performance by modernising working patterns is a key issue for UK firms.

"This project demonstrates how involving employees in new patterns of work can raise productivity, reduce absenteeism and give people a better work-life balance.

"Both business performance and employee satisfaction are improved and these are at the heart of any high-performance workplace."

Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary commented: "Lots of organisations have shown that we can beat Britain's long hours culture by working smarter. Unions do believe in proper regulation, but this initiative shows that workplaces can do even better when managers and employees work together."

The report was produced following a series of nine master classes around the UK, where the featured companies shared their experiences with other employers.

(KMcA/SP)