{"id":11185,"date":"2026-07-02T13:32:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rldatix.com\/en-uki\/?p=11185"},"modified":"2026-07-02T13:34:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:34:42","slug":"digital-solution-for-flexible-working-requests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rldatix.com\/en-uki\/resources\/digital-solution-for-flexible-working-requests\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Solution for Flexible Working Requests\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust introduced a fully digital flexible working request system through its Digital Workplace Portal (DWP) to improve accessibility, transparency, and workforce insight across the organisation. Replacing a paper-based process, the system streamlined how requests are submitted, reviewed, and approved through a consistent two-stage approach aligned to policy and co-designed with staff and managers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since launching organisation-wide in January 2025, the system has improved staff and manager experience, reduced administrative burden, and provided real-time workforce insight to support planning, retention, and organisational decision-making. The approach has also strengthened visibility of flexible working trends and outcomes, helping embed a more transparent and data-informed flexible working culture across the Trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Flexible working requests were previously managed through a paper-based, locally controlled process that was inconsistent, time-consuming, and lacked organisational oversight. Managers handled requests independently, resulting in limited visibility of volumes, outcomes, and decision-making patterns across the organisation. This made it difficult to ensure fairness, identify trends, or use data to inform workforce planning and improvement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The absence of centralised data also meant the organisation could not effectively link flexible working usage to staff experience, engagement, or retention, despite clear evidence that work\u2013life balance was a key driver of attrition, with 15% of leavers citing it as a reason for leaving. While overall staff survey results were strong in many areas, flexible working remained a recognised gap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, reliance on paper processes was inefficient and misaligned with wider digital transformation and sustainability goals. The challenge was to replace this fragmented approach with a consistent, transparent, and fully digital system aligned to policy and national NHS ambitions, improving accessibility, fairness, and workforce insight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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