The Flexible Workforce - part 1
Pic credit: shockinglydifferent.com

The Flexible Workforce - part 1

Things have changed and things are different now in the way we work and live. The new now has begun. Most organizations are planning for return to office and getting ready to go back to work. As we move into the new now lets get one thing clear our resume will be our skills and not the long list of pages of your good deeds. Technology and operational skills will govern for the next few years to come for large part of the workforce here in India. With this change also comes the change in the way we work. We have often in the last two years been visioning a work environment offering the choice of where and when you want to work and how you want to work. You want to work flexibly. I will try and share a series of writeups to help folks steer in the right direction to make irresistible organizations as Bersin calls them.

Evolution of the flexible workforce:

Well the good news is its now actually happening, organizations are at least thinking about flexibility. Large organizations now boldly proclaiming that they are willing to offer "flex" as a part of work. Studies and research show that the last two years have changed the way we see "Life" and "Work" and this has pushed talent to seek more flex in the way they work and live. Earlier there was "work" and then there was "life" they were two separate paradigms for many workers. For most workforces across the globe, work many-a-times over shadowed life. We used to meet too often, email too much and never get a break. Like Josh Bersin puts it - We are not working from home but living at work. Over the last two years this has changed. Life now has a new meaning for everyone, there is a different purpose of life for each of us and I am confident the tilt towards life will keep increasing in the time to come. Technology has grown exponentially and it has proved that work and life can co-exist. Yes there are challenges, there are teething issues and the most complex of all is the "mindset issue". The mindset that "This does not work", "Its too much of a hassle to continue this long term" , "the customers/client don't like this form of working" etc. Many Leaders and Organizations are slowly and steadily dealing with this and making the changes required in their strategy and operating model. Technology and automation have proved that work can actually happen from anywhere without productivity loss. Would you believe if I say that most organizations have actually grown through the pandemic, yes more work was done and accomplished in the last two years by the workforce with the ability to work remote and work from home. However the ability to work "flexibly" from home was still not a reality and this caused a lot of pain and grief leading to the "great resignation". A large part of the great resignation is caused by stress, burnout and lack of balance in work and life. A study by the IBM Institute of Business Value shows 1 in 4 employees are planning to switch employers in 2021, and as many intend to switch occupations. Mental health, care, safety, belonging saw increase in demand and are proving to be the pathways to pave the talent road map in the new flexible now. Take a look at some data that proves this point.

No alt text provided for this image

We have a new term now that's trending and a mindset that is now shaping around what I call as "worklife" where work and life have now come together for a large part of the global workforce. Work and Life are no longer separate paradigms they are now part of the same conundrum. Its essential for organizations and leaders to address this "worklife" and define your strategy and roadmaps and make attempts to balance it evenly. This is where Flexibility steps in as a gamechanger. Organization and leaders need to let go of the ridgid policies and practices that dictate when to come to office. Instead they should look at possibilities of giving people choices that fit their work and personal needs. Looking at flexible work schedules, rotations, work from home/anywhere options, part time work, gig work, mobile working and so much more can be thought through in two parts. Part one is designing the flexibility offering based on active listening of your people needs. Second part is the experience the design provides which helps people decide on their future with you and create that sense of belonging.

What is being communicated and what is actually being "experienced" by your people on the ground are the key deciders on how smoothly your talent strategy will work out. Only creating policies and process around flex will not help in the new now, you also need to constantly build the experiences for your people to be able to be educated, to experiment and evolve through the various stages of your implementation. Experience will drive what we now call as the "great opportunity", why a talent looks at joining your organization, his/her perception about your organization and its ways of working. Most importantly your commitments to make it come alive. There are other factors that will inform your talent strategy but flex will be at the core of each of the factors. Such a human centered design is the need of the hour and as leaders we need to actively upgrade ourselves and constantly evolve the experiences we intend to delver.

Last but not the least always remember (something I have always told my clients) "its not what your competitor is doing that should shape your thinking, yes its important to be aware, but the main competition is always with yourself, how you as an organization as a leader are listening (to your people), evolving and growing that matters in the long run".

LS Murthy, PhD , ICF - PCC,

Business & Startup Strategic Advisor,Management Consultant, Leadership Coach Ex-COO, SVP, Global Delivery & HR Head

2 年

Great article and so relevant & Insightful Ajay. Hearty Congratulations.. The greatness of human brilliance in adopting to the unimaginative crisis was wonderful. Together with flexibility, effective and consistent communication greatly helped keep the positive spirits up and productivity improving gradually. ??

Meghashree Nayak

HR Business Coordinator Coop - ICBC | PBD(HRM) - KPU, BC | CPHR Student Member

2 年

Such an insightful article!

Pramod Solanki, Ph. D.

Leadership Coach & Founder @Performance Enablers I Advisor I Growth Enabler I Honorary Member, Institute of Directors I Ex- L&T, Sun Pharma, TCS, JBIMS, IIM Ahmedabad

2 年

You make a compelling argument here Ajay . Couldn't agree more. Like you say, the two years have proved that we are by and large, technologically - enabled and it can only get better. Where we seem to be 'less-abled' is the mindset. The mindset of wanting to see in front of our eyes that my team member is at it full-time and must deliver as per my time lines. This needs to change. Again like you say, human - centered work designs have #flex at their core. One of the ways we can practically adopt it is by nurturing a culture where the sense of ownership and accountability to clients ( external or internal ) is everybody's responsibility, and not only of the manager in-charge. That's where we have a ground to cover - in the mindset of managers / leaders, communication and leadership style and systems to support the shift. Thanks. Keep sharing.

Indra Chourasia

Industry Advisor - BFSI at Tata Consultancy Services

2 年

Authenticity, trust, and transparency must remain at the core in any form of remote and alternative WFA arrangements. To improve the employee experience, hassles of Security, intended or unintended Surveillance and reliable Support infrastructure require better smoothening, besides earnest outreach for employee engagement. Real effect could be achieved only through a drastic shift in managerial mindsets and significant augmentation of the organizational process & technical capabilities.

Vivek Dwivedi

Org Design & Effectiveness | Vision & Culture | Leadership & Succession | DEI | CXO Scorecards Alignment | CHRO Advisory

2 年

Ajay kudos to you. Very well written on a topic of great relevance. Though on POV I view it a bit differently. I think the ‘psychological safety’ and flexibility while quite relevant have taken over a disproportionately large part of the narrative eclipsing the phenomenon of the ‘authentic repurposed professional’ that pandemic has stirred. In my experience at the heart of the #greatresignation are those professionals who are choosing to fundamentally repurpose themselves and their career choices and therefore headed to do some original work often with a start up (much lower ‘psychological safety’) and scripting the next game changers than to stick with the monoliths who are busy churning the old wine in new bottles (HSE to ESG; D&I to DEI; Change mgt to Transformation) and working hard planning the annual offsite after 2/3 years gap. Even within our consulting fraternity the churn has been high but colleagues have not just moved firms while doing the same roles as it traditionally used to happen. This time around folks have moved to much different nature of work and workplace. The #greatresignation to me is much more the onset on #professionalentrepreneur phenomenon than #psychologicalsafety or #flexibility.

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Ajay Venkatesh的更多文章

  • Unlocking the Potential of Generative AI in Human Resources

    Unlocking the Potential of Generative AI in Human Resources

    In today's fast-paced digital landscape, human resources (HR) professionals are constantly seeking innovative solutions…

    7 条评论
  • Accelerating the Future of Work

    Accelerating the Future of Work

    Peter Drucker had once said "The best way to predict the future is to create it". How far are you from creating the…

    14 条评论
  • Women - Why do we hide?

    Women - Why do we hide?

    Women have been oppressed from time immemorial in this working world. There can be many reasons we can attribute that…

    2 条评论
  • What Stops You?

    What Stops You?

    You are waiting at the edge of a swimming pool all set and ready, but you hesitate to take that plunge into the water…

  • I am CEO- Home, without pay !!

    I am CEO- Home, without pay !!

    Why should i not be paid for doing "work" at home? I have witnessed my grandmother, my mother and now even my wife…

    26 条评论
  • I am a WOMEN and I am a LEADER

    I am a WOMEN and I am a LEADER

    I was quite appaled to know that in the 20th century there are affluent business families and others that don't allow…

    1 条评论
  • Women - Come back to work

    Women - Come back to work

    This is the third in the series of Diversity and I am very happy that the response to my last two articles has been…

    8 条评论
  • Is Talent Driving Value??

    Is Talent Driving Value??

    In the VUCA world where everyone is talking of #FutureOfWork and trying to anticipate how the human resource horizon…

    2 条评论
  • Diversity or Equality Series : How to increase women in leadership?

    Diversity or Equality Series : How to increase women in leadership?

    Quick summary for those who missed my previous article in this Diversity or Equality series. We spoke of the important…

    1 条评论
  • Diversity or Equality - What's the Path Forward?

    Diversity or Equality - What's the Path Forward?

    Gender Diversity and Inclusion are hot topics that are being discussed in HR War rooms and even in board rooms today…

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了