Got flexible work policies? How’s the practice going?
Reposted from Getaflex: https://www.getaflex.co.nz/flexiblog/got-flexible-work-policies-hows-the-practice-going/ by Gillian Brookes
When I talk to leaders inside organisations their motivation for flexible work varies enormously. For some it’s about making sure there’s a viable business continuity plan in place. For others they don’t want to miss out on attracting good people to work for them, or lose the excellent people they already have in their teams.
Another critical factor is how far along organisations are on their flexible work journey. Some are just starting out and working out their plan of attack! Other organisations are further ahead with some great policies in place but the practice is really inconsistent. This creates frustration for those without access to flexibility. It’s seen as the exception for a few, rather than a standard for everyone. So often people tell me that the level of flexibility they have depends almost entirely on the manager they have, not the work that they do.
This inconsistent practice is the barrier to organisations getting the full benefit from their flexible work policies. Benefits such as attracting talent, stronger employee engagement, lower turnover, higher productivity, supporting wellbeing and mental health, a gender balance in senior leadership and a more diverse workforce.
These inconsistencies in flexible work practice entrench the sub-cultures in organisations that we often see at the team-level, which drive other inconsistent decisions and behaviour. A flexible work policy on its own can’t change that. In an ideal world HR would work with each team or people leader to iron out some of the more stark wrinkles playing out in practice. In reality most HR teams are busy with urgent, unplanned work, which blocks progress to these proactive projects that HR and the leadership team know would make a positive impact.
That’s where we can help you.
We know that your intent is clear for a flexible workplace, it’s now a matter of making the intent a reality. We offer a series of tools and support to identify and remove those inconsistencies. We do it by:
Developing confident and capable people leaders
Facilitating team workshops
Aligning other policies with flexible work intent
Measuring the impact
If this sounds like your experience then get in touch to see how we can help you. We are on a mission to make flexible work the new normal, so let us bring our passion and expertise to your workplace.