Flexible Working: Transforming Workforce Management in Healthcare

The NHS has taken a bold step forward in embracing flexible working, highlighting its crucial role in improving work-life balance and staff retention. In its recently published flexible working guide, NHS Employers provides a comprehensive framework for healthcare organisations to foster a supportive, adaptable workplace culture.

What Flexible Working Looks Like in Healthcare

The NHS guide outlines a variety of flexible working arrangements, including:

• Staggered Working Hours: Flexible start and finish times for staff.
• Compressed Hours: Completing contracted hours over fewer days.
• Part-Time or Reduced Hours: Enabling staff to work fewer hours than their original contract.
• Job Sharing: Dividing one full-time role between two staff members.
• Hybrid and Remote Working: Combining home, remote, and on-site work.
• Team-Based Self-Rostering: Empowering teams to create their own schedules collaboratively.
• Career Breaks and Flexible Retirement: Offering extended periods of leave or phased retirement options.

These diverse options cater to individual staff needs while maintaining service delivery, a critical balance in healthcare operations.

The Role of Workforce Management Technology

Successfully implementing flexible working requires robust tools to ensure fairness, transparency, and operational efficiency. Here’s how RotaMaster can support NHS trusts in this transformation:

1. Enhanced Rostering Capabilities

RotaMaster simplifies the creation of complex rotas, including staggered shifts, compressed working weeks, and team-based self-rostering. Staff can have greater control over their schedules, while managers ensure adequate coverage.

2. Streamlined Flexible Working Requests

RotaMaster’s HR module integrates flexible working requests into a single workflow, from submission to approval. Managers can assess the impact of these arrangements on staffing levels and adjust plans accordingly.

3. Workforce Insights Through Data Analytics

Using RotaMaster’s analytics tools, NHS managers can evaluate the effects of flexible working on staff satisfaction, retention, and service delivery. These insights help fine-tune policies and optimise workforce planning.

4. Policy Compliance and Documentation

RotaMaster ensures compliance with NHS flexible working policies by offering tools to manage career breaks, sabbaticals, and phased retirement plans. Document tracking features ensure all arrangements are properly recorded and easily accessible.

5. Cost Savings and Efficiency

With RotaMaster, trusts can analyse potential cost savings, such as reduced office space requirements or improved staff retention. A planned cost-savings calculator could further demonstrate the return on investment of flexible working policies.

6. Training and Implementation Support

To maximise the benefits of flexible working, RotaMaster offers bespoke training for HR and management teams, ensuring the smooth implementation and adoption of new scheduling methods.

Realising the Benefits of Flexible Working

Flexible working is no longer just a perk—it is a necessity in healthcare. It enhances work-life balance, improves staff retention, and fosters a positive workplace culture. With RotaMaster, NHS trusts can translate these principles into effective and efficient practices whilst saving money. With better retention, fewer agency costs, and streamlined processes, the savings add up quickly.

Want to see the numbers? Book a demo, and during the call, we’ll help you calculate your organisation’s potential return on investment with RotaMaster.