For some, the concept of flexible working may seem at odds with the recruitment sector’s traditional working cultures, however, for early backers, the benefits of flexible working are a no brainer. The nature of the industry – which revolves around the schedules of busy jobseekers – is prone to side-tracking traditional nine-to-five shift patterns, enabling seasoned consultants to increase contact with prospective candidates outside of working hours. Not only will authorised flexible working facilitate an improved level of client-candidate contact, it is likely to boost the work-life balance for recruiters too.
Earlier this year, a poll carried out by YouGov found that just six per cent of employees are working the traditional hours of nine to five, proving the widespread uptake of flexible working policies across the UK. The study revealed that most full-time workers would prefer to start earlier and leave earlier: 37% opted to work between 8am and 4pm while 21% preferred to work between 7am and 3pm. There may be a clear demand from the majority of UK employees to implement flexible working, however, is this positive stance mirrored in the recruitment industry? The experts weigh in, below…