The Future of Flexible Work
(Image Credit: Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels)
Does your organization have flex appeal?
During the pandemic employees around the world had no choice but to work from home.
Today, your employees value flexibility.
Thanks to modern technology, we can meet, connect, and collaborate from anywhere with a mobile device and a wi-fi connection.
As we navigate this new way of working, creating workplaces that prioritize the work-life harmony of your employees has become important.
If your organization doesn’t adapt to this change, your top talent will find an employer who will offer the flexibility they desire.
While you reflect on the future of work and where it’s going, consider how your organization will create a workplace that is truly flexible for all of your employees.
Current State
According to the 2022 Microsoft Work Trends report, flexible work hours (38%) were reported as one of the top five aspects employees consider “very important” for an employer to provide.
The report has also revealed that 47% of respondents say they are more likely to put family and personal life over work than they were before the pandemic, while 53% are more likely to prioritize their health and well-being over work.
How are organizations responding to this demand for flexibility?
Several companies have implemented Work From Anywhere programs, while some have become fully flexible. Spotify’s Work From Anywhere program allows their employees to work from home, from the office, a combination of the two, or in a co-working space.
Similarly, Lyft has recently announced they’ve become a fully flexible workplace. Almost all of Lyft’s employees can choose whether they work in an office, remote, or in a hybrid model and they can choose where they want to live.
Other companies in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and Canada are experimenting with the 4-day work week. The results have shown healthier employees and reduced turnover. According to 4 Day Work Week, 63% of businesses they’ve worked with have found attracting and retaining employees was easier under the four-day model.
Challenges of Flexible Work
While there are various benefits to flexible work arrangements, there are also several challenges for both your organization and your employees. Some of the biggest challenges for remote employees are feelings of isolation, the blurred lines between work life and home life, the impact on career growth, and reduced benefits.
Similarly, flexible work also creates challenges for employers who have to determine how they will communicate with remote employees effectively, engage employees virtually, and restore the loss of culture when working remotely.
Understanding how your employees work, how they want to work, and the resources needed is essential to overcoming these challenges.
The Future of Flex
Designing flexible workplaces for all your employees is not just about offering flexibility in when and where an employee works, it's about understanding people and their needs.
The future of flexible work requires open dialogue between leadership and employees. Are flexibility options available to all employees? How can we offer equitable opportunities for flexibility?
The McKinsey 2022 American Opportunity survey revealed that men (61%) were offered more remote-work opportunities compared to women (52%).
Flexible work arrangements can have a significant impact on your Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion strategy. Is parental leave offered to both men and women? Granting men flexible hours as well as women could also allow them to share domestic responsibilities.
Harvard Business Review proposes the notion of two approaches to flexibility accommodation vs boundaryless working. Accommodations are when the request for flexibility is dependent on who the employer is rather than creating a culture that supports flexibility or the contributions by the employee.
Boundaryless working means employees are working anywhere at any time. The lack of boundaries when working 24/7 can cause several challenges including isolation, depression, and lack of work-life balance.
The best approach to flexible work arrangements is allowing your employees to achieve work-life harmony and including them in deciding how flexibility will be implemented in your workplace. This also involves defining what flexibility means in your organization and establishing clear policies that are equitable for all.
The future of flexible work requires leaders and employees to work together. Implementing flexible workplaces requires careful deliberation that adapts to this new way of working.
Maintaining communication with your employees, experimenting with different arrangements, and adjusting when needed are all crucial to making flexibility work.