UK SBS CRCR19049 Using behavioural techniques to increase the uptake of flexible working

*** THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION*** The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) had a requirement for research that aims to identify behavioural barriers to flexible working in manufacturing and retail and explore how they can be overcome to encourage employers to drive up flexible working. There is relatively little information about sector specific barriers in these sectors.

This small-scale exploratory piece will aim to identify barriers and propose a series of behavioural interventions that can later be scaled up and tested more widely within these sectors. In the first instance, the objective would be to design a small-scale experimental project using observational techniques to design interventions in a small sample of businesses.

Researchers would observe the environment as well as speak to staff to identify key behavioural and attitudinal barriers and then design some 'nudge interventions' that the businesses could take up and trial. This could be around how the businesses communicate; or working with line managers to set an example or look at making small changes to roles and responsibilities.

Subject to business buy-in, some of the recommended behavioural interventions would then be tested with participating employers to assess their effectiveness in practice. The requirement was advertised on the CCS RM6004 behavioural research framework and was awarded via a further competition.