Flexi-time working backed by council

Sep 25 2007 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

THE routine nine to five working day has been replaced with flexible working conditions at Durham County Council.

The council is the second local authority to join the Work Wise North-East campaign, which is also supported by The Journal.

The council, which employs 19,000 people, already has its own flexible working scheme, which has led to an increase in productivity.

The Work Wise campaign is calling on businesses to move away from the routine working day and make it easier for staff to choose hours that fit increasingly busy lives.

Council chief executive Mark Lloyd said: “Work Wise North-East is a fantastic campaign and we are really keen to support it. Our flexible working trials have been a huge success and we are planning to introduce a number of other smarter working practices to ensure that we have a happier, healthier and more productive workforce which can help us to deliver even better services to the communities we serve.

“Many of our employees can already access a raft of flexible working measures including staggered start and finish times, reduced hours, teleworking and job-sharing.

“This creates the ideal working environment, meeting the needs of many of our staff.

“We are also looking at opportunities for employees to take career breaks to enhance their learning and development and hope to implement this later this year.”

Mr Lloyd said the council was also looking into ways staff could take career breaks for those wishing to get on a vocational course or go to university.

Phil Flaxton, Work Wise chief executive, said: “Signing up the region’s largest employer is a real feather in the cap of the Work Wise North-East campaign.

“We now have the two largest authorities committed to this campaign – Northumberland and Durham county councils – and we hope other proactive local authorities will follow their lead. The benefits brought about by flexible working are impossible for employers to overlook.”

The campaign has won support across the region, including One NorthEast, the TUC, and the North East Chamber of Commerce.