As the UK gears up for major change in employment law to create more family-friendly workplaces, new research reveals that the biggest obstacle for businesses is not legislation itself but reorganising workloads.
According to a new industry poll* redistributing work among existing staff is the main barrier to implementing family-friendly rights. The issue was ranked higher than the financial impact on the organisation and updating internal policies.
With the forthcoming introduction of a raft of legislative changes including changes to paternity and parental leave, neonatal leave, bereavement leave and flexible working. The challenge will escalate unless it’s proactively addressed.
Lyndsay Gourlay, Senior Employment Law Adviser at WorkNest said; “In the near future, more people will be entitled to take leave at very short notice, so plan ahead to overcome the challenge. Employers should prioritise training and upskilling line managers to effectively plan, distribute and manage workloads. Have contingency plans in place for absences to help remove this barrier. Also use digital tools and technology to enable smarter workforce planning and create contingency plans that can withstand periods of employee leave without overburdening others.”
The knock on effects of reorganising work among existing employees can also be damaging if not handled well. You are left at risk of overburdening other team members which could lead to burnout, stress or long-term sickness absence as well as low employee morale. A structured approach must be taken to planning workloads.
*Poll by WorkNest
