In uncertain economic times taking on a full-time member of staff may be too much of a commitment for small businesses.

But key staff who leave may still have to be partially replaced, while other projects may come up that require you to bring in some additional help.

According to David Curtis, managing director of Women Like Us, small businesses would do well to consider taking on part-timers - such as women looking to return to work after a career break - who can work either in-house or remotely and provide support and assistance on a more flexible basis.

"Hiring an experienced person on a part-time basis may financially be a more viable way for a business to bring in quality, motivated staff during turbulent economic times," he says. "Sourcing staff from the talent pool of women returners can also be a beneficial way to manage growth for new and growing businesses."

Women Like Us offers the following tips on how to go about developing such a strategy:

Start as you mean to go on
Recruit people who not only have the skills for the role, but the values and work ethic to fit with the flexible working approach of your organisation. Flexible working works best by talking situations through rather than a ‘one size fits all' approach. Building a shared understanding of what flexible working is (and is not) is important to get right from the start.

It's good to talk
Agreeing on flexible working, and making it work is mainly about communication. Real business practicalities will need to be taken into consideration alongside any candidate's requirements. So it's important to listen, avoid assumptions and understand the facts. Take the time to talk through the options, and if it helps, do things for a trial period and keep talking about what works and what does not.

Get the right match
Just as flexible working can benefit your company, there are thousands of experienced candidates who specifically want part-time rather than full-time work. Those looking for part-time roles are less likely to leave, even when a credit crunch lessens and a full time job market picks up.

Design flexibility into job roles
Train your managers to hold effective discussions about flexible working with their employees to reduce the likelihood of difficulties which may arise out of poor communication. If you get it right, you can reap the benefits of a flexible workforce, including reduced stress which results in reduced sickness absence, more energy among employees and a richer mix of skills among staff. There are other add-on benefits, for example personal commitments can also be fulfilled more easily in employees' own time, so fewer dental appointments in the middle of the working day or late starts because of a must-see class assembly.

Promote a work/life balance
Encourage your employees to have good self-awareness. They should consider if they are someone who can work well from home and whether they would work better for three full days rather than hours spread across the week. Build specific flexible working strategies into your business.

Know where to access talent
The good news for employers is that there is a large market of reliable people who wish to work-part time, including an estimated half a million women who are looking for part-time or flexible work to fit around their families, and who have the qualifications, skill sets and experience that employers are looking for.

For more information visit www.womenlikeus.org.uk [1]