Tony Danker, director general of the CBI – © CBI
Flexible working is becoming mainstream and wellbeing is an employer’s job, according to the head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).
Speaking at the CBI’s Future of Work Conference in Central London this week (1 March), director general Tony Danker said that businesses had to understand that the workplace had become a “genuinely new landscape”, and must operate according to new principles if it is to attract and retain talent.
Flexible working was becoming mainstream practice and was needed to cope with labour challenges.
“But given today’s shortages, and without immigration, it’s vital to growing supply because it’s likely the only way to get those who’ve left to return,” said Danker. “It’s hard to see how those now economically inactive will become full-time active overnight.”
He added that employees wanted and needed their employers to prioritise mental and physical wellbeing.
“It’s what those who are at home and could be back, want and need,” said Danker. “The country needs it too, to have business lead on preventing illness because the NHS just doesn’t have the bandwidth. There is nothing to fear here because we in business are good at this.”
Childcare provision
Danker also called for a childcare revolution, arguing that in a labour market that was fighting an uphill battle against early retirement and long-term health problems, parents who would be in work or increasing their hours but for unaffordable childcare were needed.
“On childcare, we need real public investment to make it affordable for parents, who want to work,” he said. “So, we’re asking government to boost funding for the existing childcare provision for three and four-year-olds, while also expanding it to cover one and two-year-olds.”
In his speech Danker also warned that companies not looking at how to use automation such as robotics and artificial intelligence would end up “chasing in vain to catch up”. Businesses must also be progressive to attract talent, as younger workers will question them on values and expect their work to contribute to their own lives and wider society.
“It’s no longer just they work for us, we have to work for them,” said Danker.
In conclusion, he said that firms could not afford to stand still.
“Whether you’re ready or not, the future of work is already here,” he said. “We must look again at the jobs we have. Consider how they need to change for a more flexible, hybrid future. And, crucially, identify what the people who do those jobs want and need from us as employers.”
