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Altruism saving jobs

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8th May 2009
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Workers are prepared to be flexible if it will save their colleagues’ jobs, according to a recent survey by Keep Britain Working.

A poll of employees in the business services sector (which includes accountants) found that 96% would accept changes in their working conditions to help co-workers keep their jobs.

More than half of respondents would consider a reduction in hours, while 38% said they would accept a pay cut. However, 3% of staff said they would strike if their employers asked for sacrifices without making any themselves.

James Reed, founder of the independent campaign Keep Britain Working, hailed the findings as a sign of a ‘new altruism’ at work. “If people believe that being flexible about their own employment conditions will help stem job losses they will take on change and make personal sacrifices – especially if bosses do their bit”, he said.

Evidence of this trend in the accounting sector was shown at KPMG, where almost 70% of its 11,000 strong UK workforce applied to work a four day week or take extended unpaid leave in February this year.

Responding to their decision, Tim Payne of KPMG UK’s HR department said: “This sort of scheme can work because of the level of trust that exists in the workplace culture. Our people appreciate we’re trying to do something different that benefits both individual and firm, and even some of our clients have called up to ask about how we’re implementing it”.

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