Listening to several our clients this year – some who have developed a flexible working structure and some who are still nervous to offer it, we have built a pretty good picture of the landscape around flexible working.
On the whole, the main concerns appear to be that companies are concerned about a decline in productivity, a reduction in effective working and that clients and delivery may suffer from the introduction of flexible working options. There were also some worries about how effective a worker would be working at home, or whether they would push the boundaries of the flexible options to have a negative effect on overall fairness and staff morale.
What we are hearing from those who have taken the leap counters a number of those concerns well. Anecdotally, what our clients are actually finding is a reduction in lateness, an overall boost in morale and trust, increased productivity, a reduction in staff turnover, an enhanced company image and an ability to attract better pools of talent when recruiting. Many citing an elevated level of commitment from staff and better engagement in office culture.
What we think is that for the flexible working option to be a success and if it can work in your business, it may take some additional coaching or mentoring of your leadership and management team in order to adjust to the changes. Getting your leadership team on board and embedding it within the culture and DNA of the business, should lead to a successful addition to your staff offering which is bringing many companies huge benefits.