A Kent council has been recognised for its use of flexible working, which has helped boost services and productivity.

Canterbury City Council’s Corporate Services department has achieved the Investors in People Work-life balance model following the innovative restructuring of its contact centre, which handles enquiries from the public.

Staff at the centre now work from home rather than in an office, which has saved money as well as limiting their carbon impact on the environment through a reduction in travelling.

The change has seen an increase in productivity and has also meant the opening hours of the centre have been extended. The council has also been able to widen its recruitment pool to people who may be housebound as a result of the flexible approach to working.

Impressive results
Mark Story, who assessed Canterbury City Council on behalf of Quality South East, was impressed by what he saw at the council. He said: “Canterbury City Council is one of the most impressive organisations I have been involved with. By instituting home-working for their contact centre staff, they have increased productivity, saved money and extended opening hours, which is great and means the tax payers get a better service.

“By looking at work-life balance and achieving the Model some spectacular results have been produced with the vast majority of the corporate services department being involved in some sort of flexible working through home-working, flexi-time, term-time working or compressed hours.”

Julia Podd, the council’s Personnel and Training Advisor, said: “Investors in People and the work life balance model gives you a positive framework for running your business - many aspects of which we were doing anyway - and it also helps provide a focus and embed ideas, making you think more as an organisation.”

To find out more about the benefits of Investors in People visit qse.org.uk or investorsinpeople.co.uk, e-mail info@qse.org.uk or call 01329 822077.