Flexible Working at HS2

Flexible Working at HS2 – Assessment Tool recognised as best practice by ACAS

At HS2 we believe that having a culture that supports flexible working arrangements brings positive benefits to the business and employees alike and we support employees to work in a ‘hybrid’ way, encouraging a balance of office, site and home working.  The right to request Flexible Working at HS2 is a day one right and we recognise that there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach.  Flexibility at HS2 incorporates a variety of options, both permanent and temporary, for employees to work in a way that their suits their individual circumstances, whilst also balancing the needs of HS2.

HS2’s approach to flexibility, is underpinned by a concept known as the ‘Three P’s’, which stands for personal choice, professional capacity, and programme.  The premise of the Three P’s is that essentially, by balancing these elements, the business and employees alike can operate effectively in a ‘hybrid’ way, working smarter to maximise productivity. The approach allows Line Managers and employees to have open, honest discussions around flexible working and supports informed and non-biased decisions that are mutually beneficial for both employee, line manager and the business. 

The ‘Three P’s flexible working assessment’ is a simple to use, on-line automated process underpinned by the Company values. Whilst there may be occasions where a request for flexible working cannot be accommodated, the tool enables line managers and their direct reports to hold objective and evidence-based discussions to arrive at fair, lawfully compliant decisions, in a way that would effectively and efficiently balance the needs of the business with individual circumstances/preferences.

The Three P’s:

• ​​​​​​​Personal choice – adopting a degree of flexibility which enables you to work effectively and perform to the best of your abilities, aligned to lifestyle and personal circumstances
• Professional delivery and development – understanding which working environment supports your ability to deliver your role and develop your capability in your specialist area

• Programme outcomes – doing what’s right for the good of the programme, based on your part in our successful delivery. From an operational perspective, some roles will invariably need doing from a certain work setting, such as working in an IPT (Integrated Project Team), on site, for most of the week

By adopting a collaborative approach during the development and launch, and by engaging with stakeholders, our workplace forum and recognised trade union, the Three Ps is a concept that is widely recognised and embedded across our workforce and has been recognised as industry best practice by ACAS, the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service, a fantastic achievement.