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Case Study: Flexible Working - Northern Rock PLC
Northern Rock piloted a concentrated hours policy in the Direct Sales Department. The group was an even mix of male and female staff.
To encourage flexibility and help staff maintain a work life balance, they were able to work longer days and to have early finishes, as they needed them.
The business rationale behind this pilot was to obtain a higher percentage of staff available in the Contact Centre in the evenings when customers needed a call or a follow up call. Staff were also becoming tired after a spell of late shifts and weekend working. The early finishes allowed them to recharge their batteries. After consultation with staff, the Department found that they preferred to work four longer days and then one shorter day.
Achievements/Lessons learned
The pilot was so successful that it has now been rolled out across the Department and is being piloted in other departments across the company. Northern Rock continues to make adjustments to the shift patterns to keep the system efficient
Sickness rates have reduced because staff were not becoming overtired, especially if they had to work at the weekend, followed by a Monday late shift Productivity has increased by 10% overall because staff are getting through to customers and are able to convert business more quickly.
Customer satisfaction has increased because they received promised follow up calls.
Contact Point
