Flexible Working Policies for Your Organisation
As we continue to move out of the Covid pandemic economy, organisations are rethinking their working models in response to the Great Resignation. People are reticent to return to the office, and many are quitting to retain the benefits of working from home.
By offering existing staff and new hires a flexible work model, organisations are finding that they:
- Can recruit talent more successfully
- Benefit from higher employee retention rates
- Can reduce office costs and help the environment by reducing commuting
- Gain greater access to global talent pools
For organisations to win, working models should benefit employees
An organisation’s working model should not just be a structure for making money. It should also provide benefits to employees.
The three pillars of a winning organisational model are:
- Employee engagement through exceptional employee experiences
- Employee happiness and the joy of work
- Employee retention
Hiring and retaining talented employees is crucial for the success of any organisation. The overall advantage of developing flexible working models is that they aid in delivering all three pillars because they provide a host of benefits to employees, including:
- A better work-life balance
- Improved health and wellbeing
- Increased productivity and job satisfaction
- Better employee engagement
- Reduced stress and burnout rates
- Decreased commute costs
- More choices in real estate
- A better living standard
Organisations should start looking at the working models they currently have, and see if they are benefitting employees. If not, then it is time to change it.
5 Best flexible working models to consider
The flexible working model is the new norm for many organisations. This trend has been driven by the changing workforce, which is demanding more flexibility from their employers.
Flexible work models are also a solution to some of the most difficult problems that organisations face today: hiring, engagement, and retention. The following five flexible working models are being used successfully in a range of organisations across our economy and throughout a diversity of industry sectors.
- Compressed workweek
- Remote work/telecommuting
- Flextime
- Job sharing
- Results-Oriented Work Environment (ROWE)
The compressed workweek is an alternative to the traditional 40-hour workweek. The idea is to reduce the hours people spend at work and in turn, give them more time for themselves. Employees are less likely to suffer from stress, and employers are more likely to benefit from reduced absenteeism and turnover rates.
Remote working provides employees with the opportunity to stay at home and complete their tasks from there, rather than having to commute into the office every day. This allows people more flexibility in their schedules as well as more time to spend with family or doing things they love most.
Some organisations have developed hybrid work patterns, in which their employees spend some of the time in the office and part of the working week working from home.
Flextime is one of the most popular flexible working models. A flextime scheme allows employees to choose their own hours of work, within a set period during which they must be present at the company.
This type of work schedule can be beneficial for both employers and employees, as it gives employees more control over their lives outside of work.
Job sharing is a flexible working model that allows employees to share workloads and responsibilities. This arrangement can be beneficial for both employers and employees, as it allows employers to save on labor costs while giving employees the opportunity to work part-time or from home.
In a ROWE, employees are not required to work in the office. They are instead given the freedom to work from anywhere, anytime. It redefines work from being a place you go to a thing you do. Employees can choose when to come into the office and when to leave, and when they wish to work from home or elsewhere ─ providing the work gets done.
Is your organisation fit for flexible working?
In recent times, increasing numbers of organisations are opting for flexible working models. This is a trend that continues to rise as more employees seek a better work-life balance.
Workplace flexibility has been shown to increase employee satisfaction and improve productivity. It also helps with hiring, engagement, and retention.
However, there are many challenges with this concept. For example, there is a need for greater management skills and more effective working practices, including a culture shift among employees. Leadership must also consider the supportive infrastructure needed, such as reliable internet connections, hot-desking, and mental health and well-being programs.
The pandemic may have served as a real-world experiment in the opportunity and benefits of introducing flexible working models into organisations. The question is this: how does your organisation measure up?
Take the PrimeFocus™ Mini Assessment to start your journey to discover a snapshot of where you stand today and the conditions that must be in place and aligned to deliver prime performance for your tomorrow.
