All charity jobs should be advertised as “flexible” to support pandemic recovery, says NCVO

All charity jobs should be made flexible where possible to support the not-for-profit sector in its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, it has been urged.

It comes after the formation of the ACEVO and NCVO Flexible Working Group in August 2021 “to galvanise lasting positive change about flexible working” in the third sector.

According to the report, charities need to “lead the way” on flexible working by advertising all charity roles as “flexible”.

The Flexible Work Group’s new report – entitled “Time to Flex” – outlines how organisations can make flexible working successful in their workplace.

Among other benefits, the paper highlights that flexible working is “vital” to attracting and retaining the most talented people.

However, most organisations leave it up to employees to “make flex work”, meaning many workers feel pressure to “overcompensate for their working patterns” without structural support.

Commenting on the report, NCVO interim chief executive, Sarah Vibert, said: “Increasingly, ACEVO and NCVO members tell us that they’re interested in implementing more flexible working arrangements in their organisations. The subject is now particularly important given the changes to the way we organise work brought about by the pandemic and the need for a more inclusive culture.

“We want to create a culture in the voluntary sector that values and champions flexible working. Flexible working promotes wellbeing in the workplace, and it increases productivity. It’s critical for inclusion. It’s important for attracting and retaining a talented, diverse pool of staff.”

She added: “Put simply, flexible working for our teams will help the voluntary sector deliver more for the people and communities we support. We’re looking forward to working with our members to make flexible working in voluntary organisations the norm.”

Click here to access the Time to Flex: Embracing Flexible Working report.

For help and advice with related matters, please get in touch with our charity finance team today.

Posted in Blog, Charities, Charities.