As flexible working options become more prevalent in large organisations, it’s important that small to medium enterprises in Greater Manchester don’t get left behind when it comes to attracting and retaining skilled and experienced employees.

There is already a lot of information available about flexible working. The Caring, Working, Living project have set up a panel - made up of employers, employment support agencies and parents and carers (Returners) -  who have reviewed a number of existing resources to consider the features that they thought were most useful and most likely to appeal to employers.

The panel have taken the best bits from different reports and factsheets and turned them into bite sized resources to raise awareness of flexible working options and the benefits and potential challenges of implementing them.

The four-part toolkit is aimed either at employers who have not yet considered the benefits of flexible working (and therefore require more in depth information to help them get ready), or employers that wish to review and develop their existing practice. It will also be a useful resource for employers looking to demonstrate compliance with the Flexibility strand of the Good Employment Charter.

Along with other useful resources for employers, the toolkits will be available to download on the GMCVO website: https://www.gmcvo.org.uk/caringworkingliving/employers

The first part of the toolkit, What is Flexible Working, is available here:

• A Guide to Flexible Working (four pages)
• Visual summary (one page)
• Getting ready for flexible working checklist (one page)
• Reviewing your flexible working policies and next steps checklist (one page)