Number of UK part-time workers on the rise

News Article - 27 April 2011
Category: Business

The number of part-time workers in the UK is on the rise. Part-time employment has become an attraction for employees due to both cultural factors and financial concerns according to recent research from Women Like Us.

The studies found over a quarter of businesses have been forced to readdress their working hours in an effort to allow employees a more favourable working lifestyle.

This has followed a significant shift in working culture with many employees attempting to find ways around working traditional 9-to-5 hours.

Martin Lyne, SME director at Orange, said: "This shift in attitude can be attributed to a range of factors including Government initiatives which, in particular, aim to help parents and carers find a more flexible way of working that suits their needs.

"Technology has also played a defining role in facilitating those employees who want to work away from the office. The wide range of mobile devices…the improved availability of WiFi and mobile broadband means employees don't have to be in the office in order to stay in contact with their colleagues."

There are a number of benefits to flexible working for businesses also, with the ability to improve staff morale and foster increased productivity. A number of organisations now implement dedicated HR software to support every aspect of the employee lifecycle.

As a means of maintaining staff morale standalone HR software enables businesses to understand the needs of their workers, analyse costs and effectiveness. It even enables staff to control their own training activities and timesheet information with self-service tools that improve overall efficiency.

"Businesses need to support their employees and provide them with the right tools and support to enable flexible working. After all, they will ultimately benefit from happier, more productive staff," said Mr Lyne.

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