Category: NHS flexible working

UNISON opinion: Let’s talk about flex

By UNISON acting head of health and chair of the NHS Staff Council, Helga Pile

The right to request flexible working from day one of employment.

Every request considered fairly – whatever the role, whatever the reason.

These were the rights secured by the NHS Staff Council back in 2021 for everyone employed by the NHS.

There was huge willingness around the table to get them in place, because unions, employers and members all know what a positive difference flexible working can make. From April, even more people will benefit as the Flexible Working Act takes effect.

So far, so good.

But despite all the goodwill and evidence, we’re not making as much use of flex as we could or should be.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that the health service is under unprecedented pressure.

Workloads are high. Resource is low. Members tell us they are stressed, they have no work-life balance, and their wellbeing is suffering.

The story is backed up by the data, with over 120,000 vacancies across the health service and people leaving in their thousands due to a lack of work-life balance.

So while we need to continue banging the drum for better investment in the NHS, it’s important that we think about how we can improve the situation in the here and now.

Thinking more creatively

If we can build on the examples and creative thinking that are already out there, flexible working has the potential to be a game-changer for the NHS.

Employers who have been able to break out of take-it-or-leave-it shift patterns and the ‘full time equivalent’ box for roles are tapping into a huge flexible workforce to fill vacancies. They are also creating a better working environment so people can stay and thrive in their roles.

Through this campaign, we’re hoping to make more people aware of the many ways that flex can work for you, your team – and ultimately for patients.

We want to provide staff and managers alike with the inspiration and tools to get started, as well as equip them to challenge outdated thinking, poor culture and practice around flex when it happens.

Achieving the win-win

There are few better ways for employers and managers to support staff than by actively encouraging and promoting flexible working.

Case studies from the NHS and elsewhere have shown that redesigning roles and processes to be more flexible has led to not only happier staff (with more autonomy and a better work-life balance), but also increased efficiency and safer working practices.

By embracing flex in the NHS, we are setting ourselves on the path to a happier, healthier workforce and a better service for patients.

So, let’s #TalkAboutFlex

  • Let’s talk about flex is a campaign from the joint NHS unions.

The article UNISON opinion: Let’s talk about flex first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON opinion: Let’s talk about flex

By UNISON acting head of health and chair of the NHS Staff Council, Helga Pile

The right to request flexible working from day one of employment.

Every request considered fairly – whatever the role, whatever the reason.

These were the rights secured by the NHS Staff Council back in 2021 for everyone employed by the NHS.

There was huge willingness around the table to get them in place, because unions, employers and members all know what a positive difference flexible working can make. From April, even more people will benefit as the Flexible Working Act takes effect.

So far, so good.

But despite all the goodwill and evidence, we’re not making as much use of flex as we could or should be.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that the health service is under unprecedented pressure.

Workloads are high. Resource is low. Members tell us they are stressed, they have no work-life balance, and their wellbeing is suffering.

The story is backed up by the data, with over 120,000 vacancies across the health service and people leaving in their thousands due to a lack of work-life balance.

So while we need to continue banging the drum for better investment in the NHS, it’s important that we think about how we can improve the situation in the here and now.

Thinking more creatively

If we can build on the examples and creative thinking that are already out there, flexible working has the potential to be a game-changer for the NHS.

Employers who have been able to break out of take-it-or-leave-it shift patterns and the ‘full time equivalent’ box for roles are tapping into a huge flexible workforce to fill vacancies. They are also creating a better working environment so people can stay and thrive in their roles.

Through this campaign, we’re hoping to make more people aware of the many ways that flex can work for you, your team – and ultimately for patients.

We want to provide staff and managers alike with the inspiration and tools to get started, as well as equip them to challenge outdated thinking, poor culture and practice around flex when it happens.

Achieving the win-win

There are few better ways for employers and managers to support staff than by actively encouraging and promoting flexible working.

Case studies from the NHS and elsewhere have shown that redesigning roles and processes to be more flexible has led to not only happier staff (with more autonomy and a better work-life balance), but also increased efficiency and safer working practices.

By embracing flex in the NHS, we are setting ourselves on the path to a happier, healthier workforce and a better service for patients.

So, let’s #TalkAboutFlex

  • Let’s talk about flex is a campaign from the joint NHS unions.

The article UNISON opinion: Let’s talk about flex first appeared on the UNISON National site.

‘As a woman, my rights are not reduced by my LGBT+ comrades’

The first day of UNISON’s women’s conference, chaired by Sharon Foster in Brighton, passed several motions relating to LGBT+ rights, flexible working and female representation in the union.

The day began with an impassioned speech from the union’s president Libby Nolan, who paid particular reference to Labour’s new deal for workers and the ongoing crisis in Palestine, describing it as a ‘war on women’.

First, Ms Nolan said she was “determined that 2024, the year of LGBT+ workers, leaves a strong legacy.”

Commending Labour’s new deal for workers, which promises day one rights for workers and a repeal of minimum service levels legislation, she said: “we need strike action to negotiate if we’re going to get money in people’s pockets, so they don’t have to go to food banks. It’s not a last ditch attempt, it’s always a threat. It has to be a threat.”

Women in Palestine

Ms Nolan also spoke at length about women in the ongoing crisis in Gaza. She said: “We cannot stand here without thinking of Gaza. Of Rafah. There are approximately 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza and 40% of those pregnancies are described as high risk. It’s not a war, it’s an assault.

“They are in a situation of fear and trauma, with no sanitation or clean water. No medicine, no healthcare infrastructure, no pain medications, anaesthesia and no ability to perform C-sections.”

“As women, we must never stop marching and calling for a ceasefire. However powerless we feel, we have to keep Palestine in the news. Gaza will always be a trade union priority. We will continue to demand for a permanent ceasefire and to allow humanitarian access and stop the blockade of aid.”

“There is so much work to be done, but we’re all united as women in this room. We can pull together, and we can win.”

2024 Year of LGBT+ workers

The first motion passed was to “embed LGBT+ equality within the union”. Introduced by a speaker from the national LGBT+ committee, the motion called for the national women’s committee to promote UNISON’s Year of LGBT+ Workers.

Supporting the motion, Liz Wheatley from UNISON’s NEC made a clear statement in solidarity with trans rights. In acknowledgement of the current climate of transphobia in the UK, Ms Wheatley said: “As a woman, my rights are not reduced by my LGBT+ comrades, they are reduced by Tory bigots who try to divide us.

“Together we are stronger, and when we fight together, we can all win more rights.”

Another speaker, who worked in adolescent mental health, made reference to the government’s new trans guidance for schools, which has been criticised by Stonewall as “not fit for purpose”.

She said: “In the 1980s, the trade union movement was at the forefront of the campaign to repeal Section 28. In this Year of LGBT+ Workers, we need to equip ourselves, again, to campaign against policies like that and to take on the rhetoric of the far right.”

Flexible working

Introducing a motion on flexible working, Alison Chisnell from the union’s national women’s committee said: “Flexible working is not a perk, it’s a necessity. But although you have the right to request it, the employer doesn’t have to provide it.”

The motion calls on the women’s committee to raise awareness on women’s rights to flexible working, recognising that women’s need to balance caring responsibilities with paid work.

Speaking in support of the motion, Linda Elvin from Canterbury City local government described how UNISON’s support was integral to her securing flexible working after her first application had been denied. She said: “Around five years ago, I was juggling being a child carer, looking after my mum and working. Thanks to the backing of UNISON, I got my flexible hours.”

Other motions passed included measures to increase the representation of women in leadership positions across the union, increase the support for young women members, improve health and safety conditions for women in the workplace and promote the ‘right to disconnect’ within flexible working policies.

UNISON women’s conference runs from 15-17 February 2024.

The article ‘As a woman, my rights are not reduced by my LGBT+ comrades’ first appeared on the UNISON National site.