Flexibility and other New ways of working
Capt. Rahul Sharma
CEO & CHRO | Executive and Life Coach, Psychometrician, Transformational HR, Skill Development, Mentoring & Employee Engagement.
Flexibility and other New ways of Working…
The covid pandemic has taught us many things and one of them is the need to focus on the mental and Physical well-being of the Employee. Another one is to bring in innovation at the work place and the ability to think out of the box and thinking without any box as well.?
It is important to explore as to what?employees are dealing within their daily lives, what impact that is having on them and what?really?matters?to?them??Is it complete Work From Home routine, or back to Work from office premises or a Hybrid work culture, 4 days workweek or an extra week’s leaves for mental wellbeing??Perhaps it is their family and what it means to sustain a family unit and to?spend?quality?time?with?them??Or?perhaps?it?is?about?progressing?at?work,?delivering?good?performance,meeting?stringent?and?tough challenges, and achieving career progression? What are they really contending with in their day to day lives as they?balance?the?realities of?being?a?full- fledged?holistic?person and?being?a?productive, engaged?employee?
The truth is that what matters to employees has shifted dramatically. Therefore, their expectations of the?organizations they work for have also shifted. Now, employees want work to be part of their lives, but not consume it. They?want the jobs they do to create a sense of purpose and meaning for them. They?are?also?looking?for?a?way?to?self-actualise.?This?means?to?meet some?of?their higher?goals?and?aspirations.
Employees?are?no?longer?happy?to?just?be?part?of?the?crowd?or?to??just?be?a number in an?organizational population. The employees are no longer worried about losing their jobs as there are many options available for most of them, be it in big corporates who have started their hiring process with a bang or in the various startups or unicorns or decacorns.?In fact, it is the various startups and unicorns who have started thinking Out of the Box and changing the rules of employee engagement. There are many new employment rules challenges which are coming up as part of Labour Code but many Learning organizations have already started making changes by bringing in Flexibility in the way, employees are hired, retained, paid or engaged. They call it New ways of working… New nomenclatures and substitutes for the HR department are being introduced… We now have Employee Experience as one of them, People Success being another.
Work-life balance
Work-life?balance?is?about?the?division?of?time?between?work?and?personal?activities.?How?much?time?is?spent?doing?work?and how?much?of?it?is?own?time?for?personal?activities??However,?the?concept?of?balance?is?more?than?just??accounting for time. Work-life balance is also about emotional and psychological investment.?What this means is that some?people's?whole?happiness?and?sense?of?balance?is?wrapped?up?in?the?job?they?do.?They are over-invested?in?their?work?and?they?are under-invested in other aspects of their lives. This is not a healthy dynamic. Balance is about prioritizing both your work?and?your?personal?life?and?making?sure?that there?is a?level?of?balance?between?the?two,both?in terms?of?time?and?the?level?of?emotional?investment.?The?goal is?to achieve?some?kind?of?optimization?between these two. We know that people have many needs. They are complex beings, and if you are only spending your time, energy, and effortin one place, you are not going to meet the holistic and multi-dimensional needs you have as a whole person. Work cannot meet every need you have, and too much focus on work is unhealthy.?Without a balance, your life will become one-sided and?that?compromises?other?aspects?of?your?life.?This?will?have?physical,psychological,?and?emotional?repercussions.?Other?aspects?of your life will suffer because all your energy, time and effort only go into a narrow slice of life. Happy, healthy employees?need?a?balance,?and?we?know?that?happy?and?healthy?employeesmean?better?performance?and?better?profits?for?organizations?in?the?long?term.
A lot of the thinking around work-life balance has shifted and now the new narrative is more about work-life integration. Thismeans trying to mesh work and personal time together so that people engage in work in a much more holistic and blendedway.?It?becomes?integrated?into?how?they?live?their?lives,?with?less?delineated?separation?between?a?working?life?and?a?personallife. This holds true for both WFH and Hybrid cultures.?Forward looking organizations are looking to engage their employees as whole?people,?they?acknowledge?and?recognize?that?people?do?not?leave?their?personal?lives?at?the?door?when?theycome?to?work.
Organisational responses to employee needs
The focus is shifting to?Employee wellness. The Organizations look?at?how?employees are feeling physically, emotionally, how they are behaving and the way they are living their lives. Ultimately, they?try?and?support?overall?wellness?by?investing?ina?range?of?programs?and?initiatives?that?support?employee?wellbeing.?They?will?also?evaluate?their?office?set-up?to?ensureergonomically?appropriate?workspaces?and?manage?the?stress?levels?of?their?people.?Progressive?organizations?areencouraging?employees?to?be?healthy.?Their?leaders?are?leading?by?example,?demonstrating?what?a?holistic?approach?towellness for?staff really?looks?like.
Next, some companies are now trying to?support working parents. There is an acknowledgment of the challenges of being a?working parent, especially when both parents are working. Some forward-thinking organizations are finding ways to support?and enable employees with family responsibilities.?This could be things like providing childcare benefits or early learning?centers at work so that people can actually physically bring their children to work and leave them in a place of safety, as well?as implementing child friendly time policies. This means allowing people who have family responsibilities, a level of flexibility?into?how?much?time?they?spend?physically?at?theoffice?versus?at?home?with?their?children.
But not everybody has children, and so progressive organizations understand that they need to meet the expectations ofemployees?who?perhaps?do?not?have?families.?Some?employees?are?without?children,?or?even?any?kind?of?family?anchor.These?employees are increasingly isolated and lonely. Many organizations understand that they need to meet the human need to?associate?and?to?belong?to?something?bigger?for?some?of?their?employees.
Workplaces?are?looking?to?provide social opportunities and a sense of community for?staff,?which?helps?employees?whodo?not?have?families?or?strong?social?units?anchor?themselves in the social world. Companies are actively finding ways for employees to socially congregate and feel a sense of?family?and?belonging and?satisfy their?emotional?needs. This is interesting because you see how some organizations are trying to deal with employees on both sides of the spectrum;?thosewho have?family responsibilities and?those?who have none.
Another organizational response to shifting employee expectations and increasing life demands is the?provision of logistical support.?For?most?people,?commuting?is?time?consuming?and?frustrating.?This?is?especially?true?in?metros.Commuting?is?also?a?highly?unproductive?time?for?employees.?They?spend?a?lot?of?time?simply?travelling?to?and?from?work,?andthat?becomes??wasted or ‘dead’ time. Commuting is also stressful and anxiety provoking, and organizations realize that when an employee?has to go through a stressful experience just to get to work, they are unlikely to get the best out of them performance wise?once?they actually start working. That is why WFH or a Hybrid culture can actually be beneficial. Covid has taught us that most of the jobs can be handled this way. Technology of course has to play an important role in this and that’s why Tech companies or those having strong Tech support can function in an Online mode. Others have to find a hybrid model to support the employees without disturbing the Work / output.?
Many organizations are looking for ways to ease this burden and to make life more convenient and easier for their people byproviding?some?logistical support. How?could they?do this??Here?are?some?examples:
·???????They might offer shuttle or commuter services.?
·???????Some?companies?are?offering?ways,?especially?through?technology,?to?facilitate?car?sharing?services?where?employeescan ride with each other. This makes things more economical in terms of the cost of petrol, as well as moreconvenient.?It?also?promotes colleague?bonding?and?allows?people?to?get?to?know?each?other?who?perhaps?are?not?inthe?same?team.
·???????Allowing people to work in times that enable them to avoid rush hour is another way some companies are assistingemployees to navigate daily demands. This means making it acceptable for employees to either come in to work alittle bit later or leave a little bit earlier. It could mean allowing some employees to work at night so that they do nothave?to be?part of?the?rat race?at all.
·???????A?new?concept?is?split?days,?and?this?is?another?way?to?reduce?commuting.?It?means?allowing?people?to?work?at?homeon some days and then coming to the office on other days. The key is to alternate the schedule across the team sothat employees have an opportunity to avoid commuter pressures, but on a fair basis. It also helps to dissipate theoverall?number of?people?in?that commuter?rush?on any given day.
Smart companies are thinking of?out of the box ways to reward?employees.?
They understand that not all employees want to?be rewarded the same way because they have different needs, and they are juggling different demands. Some of the typical?ways in which companies reward people are a promotion or more money either through some kind of bonus or a salary?increase.?
However, progressive organizations realize that you need to incentivize people with reward that has a high valency.Valency means it has a high value to employee; it is very impactful and meaningful to them. And of course, that reward’svalency?will be?different for different people?depending?on their needs. Many organizations are coming up with new reward practices that really speak to the needs and expectations of their?employees.?So,?for?example,?if?you?are?a?working?mother,then?perhaps?what?would?feel?like?a?really?valuable?reward?to?you?for?good performance is extra money for child support or access to specialized education for your child, or perhaps some extra?time off that you can spend at home. The idea is that organizations who understand that life is challenging in different ways?for?their?employees?will?think?about?a?range?ofreward?opportunities?that?really?speak?to?the?wide?spectrum?of?employees.?But?perhaps?the?best?way?in?which?companies?are?meeting?the?shifting?expectations?of?employees?and?supporting?thedemands?of?modern-day?employees?is?by?introducing?different ways of working. They?are?asking?themselves?‘how?can?ouremployees?do?the?same job but in a different way? And how can they do it in a way that will make their lives easier and create greater levels?of?convenience?and better?work-life integration??How?can?we?enable?and?support that?work-lifebalance?
New ways of working
Traditionally, work was characterized by 9am to 5pm workdays. Employees started at a point in the morning and workedthroughout?the?day,?until?the?job?was?finished?in?the?late?afternoon.?Most employees worked five days a week, some even 6 days a week typically Monday to Friday. They traditionally had a designated place of work, a place like an office or a factory. And they had very specific?assigned?tasks?or?responsibilities?that?management?would?monitor?and?make?sure?that?theyperformed.?Now,?alternative?ways?of?working?are?becoming?a?way?in?which?organizations?help?their?employees?meet?theirneeds,?and?also?have?an organizational benefit.??Below are?some?examples of?‘new?ways?of?working’.
Working?less?time
Organizations are offering roles with reduced hours. Some employees simply want to work less and of course, their personaleconomic?realities?allow?for?this.?A?company?is?not?going?to?pay?somebody?a?fulltime?salary?if?they?are?not?doing?a?fulltime?job,but?many?employees?can?survive?on?less?money?and?would?prefer?to?have?more?time?to?dedicate?to?something?other?than?work. Working less is particularly valuable in technology enabled?industries?where?you are looking?for high?levels of?innovation,and?smart new?ideas.
领英推荐
Non-traditional?hours
Next, one of the new ways of working is offering non-traditional hours. Some employees prefer working at unconventionaltime.?Offer flexi Timings -?They?do?not?want?to?work?9:00?to?5:00.?They?might?prefer?to?come?in?really?early,?or?to?start?later?andwork?later?into?the?evening.?This?is?called?time?splitting,?and?it?is?a?way?of?creating?flexibility.?It?could?also?mean?that?employeeswork?certain?hours?upfront in the day. Then they have a break and then later, they come back to work for a second slot. Of course, depending on??their?home?demands and?their lifestyle, this?could suit?some?people?better than others.
Reduction?of?management?control
Reducing levels of management control over work is a new way of working. Progressive organizations are rethinking the roleof management. They are no longer need them to just monitor, oversight and effectively ‘police’ employees. They arechallenging the traditional role of management and rather asking their managers to focus on supporting employees, doingquality assurance work, facilitating collaboration within teams and coaching employees to deliver a better output. They arealso looking at their managers to incentivize innovation and create the freedom for employees to come up with new ways ofdoing things effectively. When you reduce the level of management control, you enable a level of employee freedom. And so,?you need a new kind of manager, one who is comfortable with that shift in power dynamics and having less control andauthority.
Location?Choice
This?is?the?idea?that?you?do?not?need?one?designated?place?of?work.?The idea of a fixed office or workspace is becoming very outdated, except of course in factories or production lines where you?need?the?physical?hand-off?of?a?product?from?oneemployee?to?another.?In?a true?knowledge?economy?where?people?are?being?paid?for?their?intellectual?property,?their?skill,?andtheir?acumen,?it?should?not?really?matter?where?they?work?from.?And?in?fact,?employees?expect to?be able to?work from a variety?of places,?enabled and supported by?smart technology. Choice of location – WFH or any other place gives the employees the ability to choose where they work from and enabling???them?to balance?their lifestyle.
Job?sharing
Another flexible way of working is the idea of job sharing. Not every person requires full time employment. Especially in dualincome?households?where?one?person?might?be?a full-time?worker,?and?so?the?other?person?does?not?need?to?be?earning?a?full-time salary. Innovative organizations are offering job sharing which is effectively offering a full-time role which is then sharedbetween two employees. This has benefits for both the employee and the organization; the employee gets to do a job whichthey?find?rewarding?and?interesting?and?get?paid?for?their?contribution,?and?the?organization?gets?the?work?they?need?delivered.Utilising?two?people?in?one?role?actually?enables?the?benefits?of?‘two?heads’?working?on?the?same?problem,?which?often?meansbetter ideas and better delivery. Clearly, overseeing job sharing does ask more of management because the person toperformance?output?ratio?is?no?longer?one?to?one,?it?is?actually?a?ratio?of?two?to?one.?Each?employee?will?have?different?strengthsand?their own?way?of?working,?and?so?it requires?high levels?of?management?skill?and?maturity.?
Focus?on?output-based?performance?management.
A very important new working practice is an absolute focus on output performance measurement. This means that you nolonger?measure?how?much?time?somebody?is?spending?on?a?job.?That?idea?is?outdated?and?in?fact,?it?incentivizes?people?totake?longer,?as?opposed?to?being?efficient?and?productive.?Performance?management?should?be?output?based.?Companiesunderstand?that?measuring?what?people?are?actually?delivering,?not?how?long?it?takes?them?to?do?the?job,?puts?the?focus?on?theright behavior. Progressive organizations are assessing performance based on what somebody has?actually produced,delivered, and achieved, and they are not so worried about how they achieve that or how long it took them. The focus is noton effort, input or time spent. It is on output and performance. That gives employees the freedom to do the job the way theysee?fit, as long?as?they are producing what the?organization?requires.
Specialist?in-sourcing
The idea of specialist in-sourcing is a new practice in organizations. It means only pulling in certain kinds of skills and abilities,?as and when they are needed in the organization, on a short-term basis. Specialized roles are vital, but because they are very?narrowly focused, often organizations do not need them all the time. The organization might need somebody to do a very?specific,?highly?specialized?kind?of?work?that?not?a?lot?of?people?can?do,?but?they?need?it?that?skill?in a?short?burst oron?specific?project. Full time hires for specialist roles are making less and less sense because there is not enough for that person to do all?the?time,?but?in?the?other?hand,?the?skill?is in?high demand?and?so?you?do?not want?to?suddenly?need?it?and not?have?it. So, on demand in-sourcing of specialists creates a dual benefit. It means that companies can get hold of specialist skills as and?when they need them. They can in-source them for that specific point in time on that specific project. It also allows thespecialists?to?be?employed?as?freelancers?or?consultants?in?the?market?and?move?from?job?to?job,?giving?their?skills?andexpertise?to different organizations as when they need them. This creates flexibility and premium salary earning potential for the?specialist.
Radical?transparency
Another idea which is really changing the way organizations operate is this concept of a radical transparency. This is the idea?that management no longer need to be secretive or hoarding of information, they can actually be very transparent and share?information with the whole organization.? The question is, why can’t employees have access to all the company information??Why does some information have to be classified as ‘management information’ and kept separate from employees? This?includes?things?like?salary?bills,performance?assessment?data,?production?schedules?and?work?distribution?information.
Radical?transparency says companies should make all information available to everybody in the in the organization because full?transparency empowers and motivates people.?It creates an adult culture where nothing is kept secret from others because?of their level or rank. It forces mature and ground-breaking conversations, because if everybody has access to all the?information that?is relevant?in?the?organization,?it?drives them?to?have?mature?conversations?and?to?adopt?adult?behavior.
How are these new ways of working benefitting organisations?
Clearly the practices above benefit the individual employee, but how are all these progressive ideas actually benefiting theorganization??
Firstly, it?improves levels of employee engagement. higher levels of engagement create a willingness?in employees?to dip into discretionary effort, and that gives?companies?the rocket fuel they?need for higher levels of?performance.?This?results?inbetter levels of productivity?for the organization, the ability to produce more and the enablement of?ingenuity and innovation.?Employees who feel that there is a freedom and a new progressive way of being managed are?likely?to?innovatemore?and?be?more?creative?in?the?way?they?do?things.?And?lastly,?and?very?importantly,?new?ways?of?working?and?progressiveworking?practices?enhance the employee value proposition (EVP) of?the organization.
Conclusion
As the world gets more demanding and complex for employees, it stands to reason that their expectations and needs fromtheir?employer?will?adjust?and?change.?Forward?thinking?companies?understand?that?it?makes?sense for them to offer new, flexible, and alternative ways of working where it is possible. This dynamic does not just make?employee lives easier. They also benefit the organization through higher levels of productivity, greater levels of employee?engagement,?an enhanced employee?value?proposition,?and a?more?adult?evolved?organizational?culture.
#HumanResources #HR #CareerChoices #Worklifebalance #flexibility #TransformationalHR #Career #employee #employer #Newwaysofworking #forwardlooking
References?
Adeccogroup.com. 2020.?Latest Insights.?
Thompson,?P.,?n.d.?New?Ways?Of?Working?In?The?Company?Of?The?Future?|?