Flex Success Through 'Me' and 'We'

There are so many opportunities to get more from flexible work. The trouble is, to access those benefits we need to be able to make collective choices alongside our individual preferences.

I think of flex success as an ecosystem, rather than a disparate bunch of individuals.

Getting what I need, personally, from flex is a big part of the equation. If that's my only focus, here's how it falls down.

I need a day connecting with others, so I go into the office. I've made the effort to put proper clothes and shoes on, do the commute and I'm ready to interact with my colleagues face-to-face.

What do I find?

One of two things:

1. No-one else is here, so I'm annoyed I made all that effort this morning and still didn't get to connect

2. I don't get to connect in the way I want to because I've spent all day on video calls

Does this sound familiar?

This is happening a lot at the moment and it’s because we haven’t yet built in regular and proactive ways of making joint decisions, alongside our individual choices.  

In the same way an ecosystem is a biological community of interacting organisms, we too need to belong and be part of an interconnected community if we are to thrive in the long-term. 

If we don't agree to some collective commitments we are at risk of becoming isolated individuals struggling to survive. The collective decisions might sometimes be in tension with our ideal individual choices. Acknowledging that tension and working with it, considering the health of our ecosystem as well as our individual needs, will help us navigate a way to get the best of both over the long-term.

As Tsedal Neeley points out, our office is a tool. Let's use it that way to get what we each need individually, as well as collectively, to get the best from flex.