Flexible work isn't always easy!
The genie is out of the bottle and the hot topic is flexible work! There’s a lot of pressure on leadership teams to evolve their approach to flexible work now that many of us have experienced the reality of working from home.
The benefits are often cited, positioning flexible work as a ‘no brainer’. Promises of higher levels of productivity, lower levels of employee stress and enhanced wellbeing, leading to stronger business results, higher retention levels and reduced costs of recruiting and training new starters. But what we haven’t been talking about is when flexible work fails, which I see every day.
There are four scenarios that I see often and only one of them offers the promised land of flexible work benefits for all.
Burnout is the scenario I see the most right now. People are committed to working hard and giving their best, especially with the looming threat of economic recession. They are failing to switch off from work in an effort to demonstrate their value, but this situation is unsustainable. If left here for too long, resentment builds and the working relationship ultimately breaks down.
Another risk I see is people discovering their ideal work arrangement and expecting their employer to sign up to whatever that might be, regardless of the unintended consequences on the business, its customers or fellow colleagues. Many managers are trying to ‘go with it’ but realise that a ‘free-for-all’ runs the risk of mild chaos for business delivery. Left here for too long and leaders clamp down, which shuts out flexible work opportunities and the benefits it promises.
Both the ‘Burnout’ and ‘Entitlement’ scenarios, if left to fester, eventually lead to a stand off. This is when the trust has broken and no-one is giving or getting any flexibility, which is the worst of all worlds.
So, if any or all of these scenarios are playing out in your workplace, what can you do to move up and out of that downward spiral towards the promise of flexible work and all its treasures?
There are many and varied answers to that question, but here are my top tips.
Clarify why flexible work is important to your strategy. For example, if your organisation is focused on cost saving, then improving productivity and retaining the staff you have will be important.
Set expectations with your staff. Not all types of flexible work are possible for every role, but there is something for everyone. Focus on what is possible with your team to make sure you all get the benefits you’re looking for.
Measure and review. Once everyone is clear about what the benefits will be from flexible work, remember to track those and use them as the basis for regular review. Then everyone knows where they stand and what success looks like.
Following these top tips will help you move your organisation towards the high-trust, flexible work culture that is so often talked about. If you’re not there yet, that’s OK, you’re certainly not alone. Nothing worth having ever came without a bit of effort and it will be worth it once you’ve cracked it.
If you’d like some extra help along the way, get in touch and let’s talk.