Flexible working 'under threat'

Thu 21 Aug 2008 at 1:16 PM

The ongoing credit crunch could soon take its toll on flexible working arrangements, it has been claimed.

Oil giant BP has said it will get rid of its nine-day fortnight which is currently enjoyed by thousands of its employees.

The decision is said to have been made as part of an efficiency drive in response to the worsening economic climate.

Under the present scheme, several BP offices have been able to take every other Friday off as long as they have worked to a set number of hours every fortnight, reports PersonnelToday.com.

Julie Quinn, employment partner at Law firm Nabarro, told the site: "Now that many employers are having a hire freeze, mass redundancies are going through second and third rounds, will flexible working remain so dominant?"

A BP spokesman said that the flexible working arrangement has been inherited from Amoco, a US firm acquired by BP ten years ago.

click here for the latest employment opportunities