British companies are coming under more pressure than ever to offer staff some form of flexible working and small firms in particular are realising offering this presents an opportunity to attract and retain employees who would otherwise be snapped by larger rivals.

“UK companies cannot afford to ignore the huge benefits of flexible working practices, both in terms of improving their employees’ work/life balance and increasing staff productivity,” says Derek Williamson, head of business marketing at T-Mobile. “Organisations must overhaul their outdated office working practices now, if they are to inspire staff, increase profits and compete effectively in the global marketplace in the future.”

But while the theory behind flexible working is sound, many companies are concerned about the impact such a strategy would have on their ability to function effectively and to react to orders or customer demands quickly.

T-Mobile offers the following tips on how to prepare your company for a successful flexible working implementation:

• Before implementing any flexible working policy within your organisation, establish clear objectives in terms of what you want to achieve. Are you looking to improve productivity, increase levels of service or provide your staff with better work/life balance?

• Speak to your staff to find out what is important to them and what types of flexible working measures they would value and appreciate. It is important not to be perceived as imposing flexible working on your staff

• Consider the effects that flexible working will have on your ability to manage your workforce, given that you will have far less face-to-face contact with your staff and less visibility of their work

• Recognise and plan for the cultural shift that will inevitably come from having a flexible workforce. Will your employees feel isolated and no longer part of the business? Will they feel less loyalty towards you and your company?

• Ensure that you provide your staff with the tools that they need in order to provide first-rate services to your customers. This means making sure that your staff are as available and responsive to customer enquiries as they would be while in the office

• Develop a mobile working technology strategy. This can help to make sure that your staff have access to mobile devices and technology that match their exact needs

• Ensure that you understand your technology contracts: for example, businesses that chose a supplier with a simple, transparent and specifically tailored pricing policy do not need to worry about how much their bills might be at the end of the month

• Review your company health and safety policy to make sure that you are covered for employees working while away from the office

• Create clear efficient and productivity measurements and targets so that you are able to review returns on mobile technology investments and gauge the success of any flexible working campaign

• Advertise the fact that you offer flexible working for employees when recruiting. Flexible working is an increasingly important factor for job-seekers so your policy can help you to attract and retain the best staff