Reading Time: 5 minutes

When it comes to flexibility in the workplace, concepts such as allowing employees to work remotely or via a hybrid arrangement, as well as giving them autonomy over their work, tend to come to mind first. While these are perfectly valid ideas, they only scratch the surface. If you want to fully reap the benefits of flexible work policies, you need to incorporate them into multiple aspects of how leadership runs your organization.  

It is well worth the effort, as the potential benefits of flexibility, as well as the drawbacks of denying it, are significant: 

  • Flexibility in working hours improves productivity for 43% of employees. (1) 
  • 90% of workers want flexibility in where and when they work. (2) 
  • More than half (54%) of employees surveyed globally would consider leaving their job if their employer does not give them flexibility in where and when they work. (2) 
  • Results of an Ernst & Young survey showed that flexibility practices help increase the sense of belonging at work, with 45% of employees sharing that flexible policies, such as autonomy in choosing the hours they work, make them feel included. (3) 
  • 30% of employees said they left their jobs (and 16% said they were looking for a new job) because of the lack of workplace flexibility. (4) 

So, how can you achieve true flexibility in your organization, in a way that is meaningful for your employees? Start with these eight tips.  

1. GIVE WORKERS THE OPTION TO TAKE SABBATICALS

Academic institutions such as colleges have the right idea when it comes to giving professors the option to take long-term sabbaticals. One or two weeks of vacation from work tend to fly by, and employees often feel like they didn’t have enough time to relax, pursue their interests, or accomplish tasks on their to-do list. Additionally, people who wish to further their education but feel they lack the time and energy to do so while working may feel frustrated about their ability to advance in their careers.  

You can remedy these issues by offering loyal employees the option to take a more extended period off, such as one to three months, instead of the standard one or two weeks. This opportunity will not only make workers feel valued and appreciated, but it will also help them feel refreshed when they return to work. Well-rested employees tend to be more productive and perform better than their burnt-out counterparts.

2. CREATE FLEX ZONES FOR DIFFERENT WORKING STYLES

Working onsite can be challenging when it comes to issues like volume level and the way people prefer to work. Although seemingly minor, conflicts can arise if coworkers feel like their environment is hindering their performance. This can negatively impact productivity and engagement levels.  

Creating flex zones set up for specific working styles is a great way to maintain a harmonious office environment and support employees’ personal preferences. It removes distractions, allowing staff members to focus on their work. 

3. INTRODUCE OUTCOME-FOCUSED PERFORMANCE METRICS

The number of hours an employee works or how much work they produce within a set number of hours is an outdated way to determine whether they are an asset to your company. For example, someone may work extra hours but fail to achieve the objectives set for them. Alternatively, an employee may surpass expectations while working fewer hours.   

Consider switching to outcome-focused performance metrics – that is, metrics centered on what the staff member accomplishes and the quality of their results. These metrics are flexible in that they allow for variables such as working style and pace, which can vary from one person to another.  

Potential standards to reference may include: 

  • Did the employee meet set goals and follow the appropriate guidelines?  
  • Would you gladly share the results with stakeholders, such as clients or members of leadership?  
  • Does the outcome of the employee’s work have the potential to provide long-term benefits? 

You can make this transition go smoothly by utilizing each staff member’s job responsibilities and quarterly reviews to determine if they are performing as required. 

4. OFFER FLEX-TIME BANKING FOR PAID TIME OFF

Instead of subjecting workers to a paid time-off (PTO) policy based on how long they have been with the company, offer them the chance to earn extra time off that they can use in the future.  

There are different ways to accumulate and track these extra hours, including options such as working a longer day once a week or receiving a full day of PTO for every day spent on a business trip. Regardless of how you implement it, this strategy enables employees to take time off, regardless of their tenure with the organization. 

Another option is to allow employees to bank unused PTO time (up to a set maximum) that can be rolled over year to year.  Alternatively, consider allowing employees to bank earned PTO time (up to a one-week limit) to sponsor another employee who requires additional time due to family or medical needs, or who wishes to volunteer out of the local area. 

5. ROTATE RESPONSIBILITIES WITH FLEX TEAMS

Learning new skills that apply to your job or industry is always beneficial. This is the concept behind implementing flex teams. It involves rotating responsibilities among different teams for a set period and is an effective way to enhance skill diversity. A flex team setup also helps keep employees engaged and sparks their interest, as it avoids the repetition of tasks they have been doing for years. 

Rotating roles and/or departments is a similar idea with the same objectives in mind. Some of your staff members may benefit from temporarily working in different roles, perhaps even in other departments, to get a feel for whether they might want to make a permanent switch.

6. MAKE OFFICE SPACES ADAPTABLE

People enjoy rearranging and redecorating their personal space, so why not give employees the same option for their workspace? Modular furniture is a practical way to achieve this, along with easily movable pieces of décor, such as table lamps, wall art, and vases. You may also consider offering cubicles in various sizes, shapes, and wall heights. Taking this idea further, you might allow employees who work from a cubicle to work from an available private office one to two days a week, based on merit. 

7. APPOINT A FLEXIBILITY AMBASSADOR

If you adopt flexible policies but fail to communicate them to your employees, does it still count? Not really. This is where a flexibility ambassador comes in.  

Request that human resources and managers share staff members they believe would make good flexibility ambassadors. They should possess excellent communication skills and genuinely feel enthusiastic about the merits of flexibility. Both are imperative for their role, which consists of sharing the news with your staff and championing flexible policies. Getting feedback from workers on these policies is another responsibility the ambassador should take seriously. If you have a large organization, you might need more than one ambassador. 

8. MEASURE YOUR COMPANY’S FLEXIBILITY SUCCESS

Implementing flexible policies is just one step in the process of becoming a more flexible workplace. You must also keep track of how well or poorly these policies are faring. Developing a flexibility scorecard is one effective way to measure the success rate of these initiatives.  

Determine how success will be measured and follow these practices each time. Getting feedback from employees is critical and illustrates one of the reasons why you need a flexibility ambassador. This feedback is a significant aspect of the scorecard, but it is not the only one. You should also take a long and hard look at how flexibility is affecting worker productivity and performance, as well as staff retention and turnover.  

Try to update the scorecard every quarter and ensure you focus on areas that need improvement. Do not just toss the scorecard aside without acting. Doing so would waste all the time and energy invested in flexibility efforts and render them useless. 

FLEXIBILITY IS ESSENTIAL, NOT AN ADDED BONUS 

You should view flexible policies as an essential asset that your organization needs, rather than something nice to have. The benefits of implementing them are too compelling, and the consequences of failing to do so are too significant to ignore. Follow the tips shared here to get started, and you will position your business to reap substantial rewards from the efforts made. 

 For assistance in planning your next corporate meeting covering topics such as flexible policies, reach out to Gavel International. 

_______________________ 

SOURCE(S):  

  1. 1. https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/digital-workers-say-flexibility-is-key-to-their-productivity
    2. https://www.ey.com/en_gl/newsroom/2021/05/more-than-half-of-employees-globally-would-quit-their-jobs-if-not-provided-post-pandemic-flexibility-ey-survey-finds 
  2. 3. https://workleap.com/blog/workplace-flexibility-guide 
Jeff Richards
Latest posts by Jeff Richards (see all)