Think Flex First NHS – A Cultural Movement

Aliya Rehman is the Workforce Supply Programme Manager at NHS Employers and an employee experience specialist.

The NHS is starting a cultural movement, ‘Think Flex First‘, that builds flexibility and choice by default, from day one, for all NHS staff.

Flexible working is not a ‘nice to do’, it’s mission critical. Good flexible working reaps major benefits for productivity, enhancing wellbeing, and delivering better patient care. As the NHS faces its greatest workforce challenges, flexible working is a powerful solution that strengthens attraction and retention, reduces costs and positions the NHS as a modern employer of choice. Frankly, we cannot afford to not get this right and passivity is detrimental. Acting boldly and with urgency on flexible working has never been more important.

From reactive to proactive

‘Think Flex First NHS’ shifts our approach from reactive towards proactive, through job design and service planning, with flexibility in mind at the onset rather than as an afterthought. Ensuring flexibility is an offer driven by employers first to staff rather than something that is requested by individuals. This is the NHS leading the way, setting the standard for the future of good work, and ensuring our people can thrive personally and professionally, today and for years to come.

To help embed the shift, we have refreshed our toolkits for line managers and for staff in line with the latest policy, legislation and good practice examples of those NHS trusts leading the way on flexible working, so there is plenty to inform and inspire. We also refreshed our online flexible working hub, which brings together a raft of helpful resources, practical toolkits and case study examples to help employers, managers and staff make flexible working a reality in the NHS.

Becoming an agent of change

For those looking to get involved with NHS Unions Get Ahead On Flex campaign, why not pledge to talk to your teams about the ‘Think Flex First NHS’ cultural shift and discuss how we each can become an agent of change to drive the movement forward?

Chat with your managers about how they can best support their teams to work flexibly by making use of our refreshed line manager toolkit. Ensure your staff members are aware of their contractual rights to work flexibly and have read our staff member toolkit to support their flexible working conversations.

Flex matters now more than ever. I urge you to join the ‘Think Flex First NHS’ cultural movement to transform the working lives of your staff so that they can deliver better patient care.

Aliya supports employers to take positive action on retention so that their teams stay and thrive. Her current focus is on enabling the inclusive career progression of nurses in the NHS. As a race inclusion advocate, Aliya supports employers in helping their Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) nurses to progress in the NHS, which we know is of critical importance. With a background in organisational psychology, Aliya is passionate about driving improvements through culture change for enhanced flexible working.