Flexible working equals improved relations

Employers who offer their staff the chance to adapt working hours are more likely to enjoy a positive working relationship, new research has found.

According to studies by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) and Management Today magazine, organisations that have reacted to the global economic downturn by opting for flexible working and similar schemes are more likely to succeed thanks to higher Chief Executive Officer (CEO) trust levels.

Organisations hit hard by the recession have "extremely low" levels of trust amongst staff while job losses and office closures are blamed on poor management, ILM found.

Despite the dip in trust, female bosses appear to have emerged particularly well from the recession, the report states. Confidence in female CEOs has increased by four points since the 2009 Index, with women achieving an index score of 66 on a 100-point scale, compared to 63 for their male counterparts.

In total, more than 5,000 employees were quizzed with results showing that trust from workers towards bosses launching flexible working initiatives or budget cuts, as opposed to office closures or involuntary redundancies, have a CEO trust rating of 68 on a scale of one to 100.

The average for British businesses is approximately 63. Those employers taking steps such as enforced redundancies displayed a poor 51.

"It is clear that the actions of senior managers are scrutinised to a far greater extent during times of crisis, and major cuts are often seen as the direct result of poor management - even when this might be beyond their control," added Ms de Valk.

"To boost trust it is important for senior managers to increase their visibility and communicate effectively with staff."