How to make flexible work successful

Flexible working arrangements became depended upon because of COVID 19’s impact on the workforce in 2020. We have since then seen candidates expecting Flexible Working Arrangements more frequently, almost to the point of being a ‘given’ in line with their salary.

According to people2people’s 2022 p2p post, candidates have indicated that company culture, support and trust from management and work-life balance are the top three factors that matter the most to job seekers. AtWork Australia provides examples of flexible working to be:

1. Telecommuting – combining working from home with time in the office;
2. Remote work – allowing employees to work from different locations around the country;
3. Condensed work week or flexible work hours – shifting work hours to align to school pick-up or avoiding peak traffic etc.; and
4. Part-time job sharing – particularly for admin roles having two part-time staff to share the role can allow your business to operate 100% for hour hours of operation.

Working from home policies are what candidates are on the hunt for and often, a candidate will decline opportunities if they do not have the ability to work from home a few days a week. Flexible work does have many benefits for employees and in turn, for employers. In contrast to this, there are down sides if arrangements are not implemented properly.

Advantages 
Employers with a flexible culture have found to improve retention, attract top talent, improve diversity, increase productivity, and improve employee engagement. Together with this, employees will benefit from the reduction in commute time and ability to spend quality time with loved ones and even attend appointments during the day.

Disadvantages 
Alternatively, employers have questioned how to best build rapport and contribute to company culture whilst working remotely. Of course, there are many ways for teams to do this remotely, it begs the question if we can truly have the same outcomes as face-to-face human interaction? Also, employees who work better in a social setting may struggle with remote working once the novelty of working from home wears off.

Ultimately, it should be remembered that successful working arrangements and flexible working culture is not a ‘one size fits all’ strategy. Business leaders must rely on open communication and continuous feedback to ensure working arrangements and working culture, remain flexible.