Best Practices for Flexible Working
In the current economic climate flexible working is becoming more popular as companies try to reduce costs
. Giving your team more flexibility to choose the hours and location of work can increase motivation and productivity. Companies can then sublet or relinquish leases. Sounds like a win-win situation all round, sadly that's not always the case. So let's look at some of the strategies being used:
Working from home - the ultimate flexible solution for many people, especially those with young families or who live a long way from the office. With more people having working space in their homes why provide office space for them?
When they do need to come into the office, hotelling and hot desk strategies are becoming increasingly popular:
Hotelling - Like booking a room in a hotel, individuals and teams can book a desk or area. Allocation like this can be for a period of hours, days or weeks. It can be used for a specific task, or for normally disparate teams working on a project.
Hot Desks - This can be a useful strategy for people who need to come into the office infrequently. Known as touch-down desks,' any desk can be used by any individual - they are completely interchangeable. Smaller desks are used and density is increased, reducing the overall space requirement.
Remote Meetings - Webinars, conference calls and video conferencing are becoming increasingly common. Not travelling to a central location for meetings is good for the environment and saves you time. Also the amount of meeting room space you need is reduced.
Benefits and Risks
Streamlining your resources seems a simple way to maximise your financial return and there is the added environmental benefit that can increase your green credentials. However there are some other factors that are important to consider:
Undeniably more efficient use of office space leads to reduced power consumption, an increase in your ROI per square foot, and you may raise revenue by relinquishing leases. However, without a permanent workspace some individuals may feel a loss of status and morale may suffer. We can all feel territorial when we feel as if we are going to be losing something. Traditionally status has been measured by how big your desk or office is. Now employees are being told to forget about the ways they have previously been rewarded. Working remotely can make them feel isolated and unimportant if no-one sees what they do. They can start to think 'why should I be doing this if no one is worried whether I do it or not?'
So why should we care if our employees are happy about the changes? We all have to make sacrifices at the moment, don't we? When morale is reduced productivity is reduced, absenteeism and staff turnover increases. How much would just a 1% rise in staff absenteeism or a 1% decrease in the income generated by your employees cost your business? Productivity can be increased when people work from home and are no longer bothered by trivial interruptions. We make more efficient use of our time when we no longer feel the need to be seen at work' or filling time to fulfil hours in the office. However, if management attitudes are negative a culture of presenteeism can develop: when not being visible is interpreted as not working', people will go into the office more often to be seen', especially if they feel their jobs are under threat. This presenteeism culture is counter-productive to flexible working.
How to make sure Flexible Working Practices work!
Communicate, communicate, communicate.
Include your employees in discussions about the different strategies for flexible working: how to best use space and time. Involving them ensures their active engagement and shared responsibility in making it work.
Ensure all of your team meet regularly in the office to reduce feelings of isolation.
Managers must be adequately trained in the management of remote workers. Without this you run the risk of alienating your employees, reducing morale and productivity.
Clearly define work targets and discuss them with your team. Clear and regular communication with your colleagues and employees results in seamless, cohesive and successful working practices.
Use instant messaging as a way to stay in touch NOT as a way to check up on them! Used in a supportive manner this is a way to easily stay in touch without clogging up your inbox.
Working in a sustainable, environmentally sound, and flexible way can reduce costs, improve morale, efficiency and productivity. To ensure success Flexible Working Practices need to be introduced in a collaborative and measured way.
Best Practices for Flexible Working
By: Natasha Dennis
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