Flexible working proves hardest subject to broach for employees, says study

British workers are least likely to ask an employer about flexible working opportunities when it comes to finding out about workplace benefits, new research has found.

The research of 1,500 UK employees, which was conducted by Badenoch & Clark, found 18 per cent of employees felt uncomfortable when asking about flexible hours, despite flexible working (33 per cent) topping the chart in terms of which factors are most important to workplace happiness.

The younger generation proved to be the most uncomfortable when asking for benefits, with seven per cent eager to query the benefits their workplace could offer during the interview process.

Meanwhile, in comparison 42 per cent of ‘baby boomers’ claimed they were happy to ask about what perks came with their role.

“In order to remain competitive in the UK’s current skills gap environment, which could be compounded further by Brexit, organisations need to pull out all the stops,” said Nikki Coleman, operations director at Badenoch & Clark.

“It’s no surprise that flexible working is important to many employees and a lot of organisations now have agile working policies in place. But clearly there is more that can be done to not just make jobseekers feel comfortable asking about this, but actively promote their approach to flexible working as part of the recruitment process. Those businesses who make sure that flexible working does not become an ‘off-limit benefit’ will have a competitive advantage in the war for talent.”

30 per cent of those surveyed prioritised gym memberships and private healthcare as great work perks, after flexible working.