What is flexible working?

Flexible working is an arrangement which supports you to have greater choice of where, when, and how you work.  This could include working patterns, hours, location and how your role is designed.

Flexible working can be for a short period of time to support a specific need, or it could be longer term. There are many different types of arrangements that could support your needs. These could be agreed informally with your line manager or through a formal flexible working request.

Are we able to have the below video as a window on the website so it plays without taking you to another are?

The below video demonstrates how some of the staff here in Lincolnshire are doing to have flex in their working lives.

Implementing the People Promise – examples from the People Promise exemplar programme - YouTube


System flexible working project

Timewise_Flex_Positive.jpgAs a system we have partnered with Timewise to support our three main NHS providers, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS trust, Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS trust and Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust go through the Timewise Flex positive accreditation process to support an improved culture of flex in these organisations and assess their maturity as a flexible working organisation.

 

We are really pleased to be able to announce that the Lincolnshire system, including United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust and Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust have all been accredited by Timewise for their work to drive cultural change and best practice on flexible working.

We have been focusing on flexible working across all organisations as a way to retain and attract the best talent, and to help make your work-life balance the best possible.

Participating organisations have access to the latest thinking and good practice on driving agile and flexible working from Timewise, to support to develop practical improvement plans and make change happen across a range of areas, including:

  • Flexible job design
  • Maximising performance
  • Building a more engaged workforce
  • Attracting and retaining the best talent
  • Tackling worklessness and raising family living standards
  • Enhancing service delivery
  • Enhancing productivity and performance

The Timewise programme in Lincolnshire means there will be focus to ensure our leaders, mangers and staff understand and promote flexible working for all. We will be doing this by prompting flexibility and resources to increase understanding, review manager training, review policies, monitor flex requests and develop a flexible working dashboard.

For further information, visit one of the links below:

One Workforce

NHS Employers

NHS England

Timewise


Flex Accreditation news

The Timewise Flex positive accreditation is a five-step process to support opportunities to maximise flexible working in organisations.

Five steps to Timewise Accreditation

  • Diagnostic review
  • Vision development
  • Action planning
  • Leadership engagement
  • Improvement plan submission

LPFT, LCHS and LPFT have all completed their own submissions simultaneously alongside the Lincolnshire system to gain this award. A first for Timewise to have a system approach to flex.

All action plans submitted looked to progress our maturity scores as providers of flexible working.

Key themes for actions are:

  • Leadership
  • Flexible working options and policy
  • Management capability
  • Employer Brand and talent acquisition

Over the next year you can expect to see developments to manager flexible working awareness and training, timewise will be providing workshops on Job redesign, a flex data dashboard, refreshed system flex principles and resources to support all in flex.