Flexible Working Task Force

Providing resources produced by both the CIPD and the Flexible Working Task Force to help you understand the benefits of flexible working and increase the opportunities available in your organisation

The people profession has a key role to play in unlocking the full benefits of flexible and agile working. By effectively embedding, monitoring and evaluating flexible working provisions, we can improve work and working lives. This is why the CIPD has been working with government and a range of stakeholders including business lobby organisations, professional bodies, unions and key charities as part of a Flexible Working Task Force. 

The establishment of the task force was in response to then-Prime Minister Theresa May’s challenge to business to improve workplace equality by advertising all jobs as flexible from Day one. Set up in early 2018 by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), it initially ran until Autumn 2019.

The task force’s aims were to do a number of things:

  • Clarify the benefits of flexible working
  • Investigate the barriers that prevent employers from offering, and individuals taking up flexible working options
  • Develop evidence and understanding of the most effective ways to increase provision and support
  • Increase the number of flexible working opportunities available by drawing together action plans and recommendations
In February 2021 Peter Cheese was asked to continue his role by BEIS Minister Paul Scully. Its remit moving forward will be on learnings from the pandemic and using these to develop policies and practices that will support employers and workers to adapt to new ways of working. Two objectives set by minister Scully are:
  • Understanding and supporting the change to ‘hybrid’ and other ways of working which are emerging because of the pandemic.
  • Longer term, understanding whether there is more to be done to promote ‘ad hoc’ or ‘non-contractual’ flexible working.
It will run for a further 18 months.
 
Here we provide several resources produced by both the CIPD and the Flexible Working Task Force to help you understand the benefits of flexible working and increase the opportunities available in your organisation.

Download the report and guidance below:
CIPD Viewpoints

Flexible working uptake

Explore the CIPD’s point of view on flexible working, including actions for Government and recommendations for employers

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