Flexible and hybrid working that works: Lessons from research and practice

About this event

Join us to discover what flexible and hybrid working really looks like in the post‑pandemic world.

This event is co-hosted with the CIPD Branch in Wessex.

Dr Jane Parry, together with colleagues from the University of Southampton, conducted Acas‑commissioned research on flexible working in the post‑pandemic environment. The research looked at organisations’ different policies and practices about flexible work, exploring why it could be valuable to organise flexible working through a combination of informal and formal processes. Jane will present organisational case studies developed through this research and also share insider insight from her time embedded in the UK Parliament during the recent House of Lords’ special inquiry into homeworking, highlighting key lessons for employers on effective hybrid working practices.

Dr Calum Carson, Senior Policy Adviser at Acas Workplace Policy team will join the event to provide an opportunity for participants to share their views about the Acas Code of Practice on Flexible working.

Expect clear, practical takeaways for employers aiming to build flexible and hybrid working practices that actually work.

This is the second in a series of events “From research to practice conversations”, developed through the collaboration between the CIPD and the University of Southampton. The series brings together academic experts from the Department of HR Management and Organisational Behaviour and industry practitioners and policy makers. Each event explores a key HR topic, combining rigorous research insights with practical perspectives to help bridge the gap between theory and practice.

About the speakers

Dr Jane Parry, University of Southampton

Jane is an Associate Professor of Work and Employment at the University of Southampton Business School. From 2024-26, she has been the UK Parliament’s Thematic Research Lead on Business, Economics, and Trade, which has provided unique insight into a period of key legislative change around employment law to reflect the needs of a post-pandemic workforce. Her research focused on changes in employment and working practices and disadvantages in labour markets and workplaces. Recent projects that Jane has led include Work After Lockdown (ESRC), which followed organisations adapting to remote and hybrid working during the pandemic, research for Acas on how flexible working is being used by different industries in the post-pandemic period, and recent research on young people, job crafting, and hybrid working.

Dr Calum Carson, Acas

Calum is Senior Policy Adviser in the Workplace Policy team at Acas. His current specialist areas of focus are based around flexible working, zero-hours contracts, AI in the workplace and the development and use of worker monitoring surveillance technology. Calum was previously a Senior Research Associate in the Centre for Health Inequalities Research at Lancaster University. He has a PhD from the University of Leeds which investigated the Real Living Wage using a multidimensional focus: on the workers who benefit from it, on the employers who voluntarily adopt Living Wage rates of pay, and the evolution of the Real Living Wage campaign itself. Calum is primarily interested in remote and hybrid working, the Real Living Wage, decent work, corporate social responsibility and the future of work.

Dr Jelena Petrovic, University of Southampton

Jelena is Associate Professor at the University of Southampton Business School, Chair of the CIPD Branch in South West London, and Knowledge Transfer Editor of HRM (a Financial Times Top 50 Business Journal). Jelena has 30 years of experience in teaching, research, and consultancy in corporate governance and strategic international HR management in the UK and internationally. She is a UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Chevening Scholar and has received the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) and Emerald Publishing Group award for her PhD in Strategic Leadership and Governance. Jelena is interested in transforming knowledge and ideas into action and is actively engaged in industry collaborations.

Please note:

• Participants will receive their joining details 24 hours before the webinar, along with a reminder 15 minutes before the session begins.
• The session may be recorded and shared afterwards.
• The chat function will be used to engage with participants.
• If there is an external speaker, their views will be their own and may not necessarily reflect those of the CIPD.
• If any reasonable adjustments are required, participants are encouraged to make this known and assistance will be provided.