Radiographers talk flex at the fringe

As part of the Talk About Flex campaign, Leandre Archer, Head of Industrial Relations at the Society of Radiographers, recently hosted a fringe session at their Annual Delegates Conference to hear directly from people about their experience of flexible working in the NHS…

“Attending the Society of Radiographers’ conference was the perfect opportunity to meet our members face to face and debate key issues. The event proved to be a valuable opportunity for our members to connect with one another, to share good practice, and to discuss what lies ahead for the profession.

This year, as part of our wider work with the NHS Unions Talk About Flex campaign, we hosted a couple of fringe sessions to discuss flexible working in the NHS. These sessions provided us with a chance to hear directly from our members about their experiences and challenges. The discussions were both insightful and inspiring, highlighting the diverse needs and innovative solutions being implemented across different NHS trusts.

Self-rostering gives staff control

One of the highlights of these sessions was a presentation by our vice president, Rachel Nolan. Rachel shared the initiatives implemented at her Trust, particularly focusing on a self-rostering system. This system allows staff to have more control over their schedules, which has significantly contributed to improved retention and recruitment. Hearing about the positive impact of self-rostering sparked a lot of interest and questions from the attendees.

A mixed picture on flex

Some of the key themes to come out of the sessions were the real difference of approaches between trusts, SoR members talked about really positive cultures within their departments with managers going above and beyond to adapt and allow flexible working. On the flip side, we heard about staff being actively put off making formal flexible working requests. Rachel’s overview of practice in her trust provided a good news story and really highlighted when flexible working is implemented how much of a positive effect this has on morale, productivity, retention and recruitment.

Rights and mindsets

Discussions centred around updating members on the changes to the law including the right to request flexible working from day one and the ability to submit multiple requests if rejected. Having a compromise position and thinking creatively to enable flexible working within departments kept coming across. We have to educate and change mindsets to allow people to work flexibly and ultimately remain not only in their workplace but also the radiography profession.”