How the ‘hush hybrid’ trend is damaging your EVP ??

Hello and welcome back to my newsletter! I write about the future of work, flexible working, startups, and DEI. If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter, join 30,000 people and subscribe here !

This week, I’m talking about why being upfront about your flexible working policies is so important, and how it can seriously impact your EVP when you’re not. Take the 'hush hybrid' trend, for instance—where managers quietly let some employees work from home even if the company mandates a return to the office. Recent research found that 70% of UK managers are doing just that! It might seem like a perk for those employees at first, but in the long run, it could damage your work culture, create misunderstandings, and lead to conflicts among the team.?

Being upfront about your company’s flexibility from the get-go will help you stand out as an employer of choice and draw in talent that genuinely wants to work with you.?

In this newsletter I will look at:

?? Graph of the week: Who wants part-time roles?

?? Why is the ‘hush hybrid’ trend happening?

?? What impact does ‘hush hybrid’ have on work culture?

?? How to embed flexible working in your EVP, the right way?

?? This week’s must-read blogs

? Discover your company’s EVP pillars with our 2 minute quiz

Traditionally, part-time roles have been viewed primarily as a solution for working mothers. However, the impact of offering part-time options extends far beyond this group, playing a very important role in diversifying your talent pipeline. Here’s a breakdown of who you can attract with part-time roles:

?? 52% of mothers

?? 44% of people with disabilities

?? 40% of women

?? 39% of neurodivergent individuals

Part-time roles offer many benefits for employees and employers alike. For employees, they improve work-life balance by allowing better management of personal and professional lives, reducing stress, and increasing overall well-being. They increase accessibility for parents, caregivers, people with disabilities, and others who may face challenges with full-time positions. Part-time work also provides career continuity for those needing to temporarily scale back without stepping away entirely.?

For companies, offering part-time roles attracts a broader pool of candidates, supports diversity and inclusion, improves retention by accommodating existing employees' changing needs, and boosts overall employee satisfaction and productivity.

To get more insights and data to help you attract and retain talent, make sure you're following our product manager and data queen, Ailish, on LinkedIn. You can also sign up to learn more about our new data platform, FlexaInsight , which is launching soon.

Why is the ‘hush hybrid’ trend happening?

The ‘hush hybrid’ trend is happening because there’s a disconnect between what employees want, and what companies think they want when it comes to ways of working and thriving in their jobs. This gap is causing managers to quietly allow certain employees to work remotely, in order to keep their top talent happy and productive! It’s a way to meet the needs of their team without rocking the boat too much, but it’s definitely a tricky balancing act.

What impact does ‘hush hybrid’ have on work culture?

‘Hush hybrid’ might seem like a win-win at first, but it can actually cause some serious issues down the road. When only certain employees get the perk of remote work, it creates a sense of unfairness and resentment among the rest of the team. This secret flexibility can also lead to a lack of trust and transparency. Over time, this can damage the overall work culture, making it harder to build a cohesive and collaborative team.

1. Communication gaps: When remote work policies are not openly communicated, misunderstandings and confusion can happen among employees. This in result causes tension to rise, making employees feel disconnected.???

2. It creates a divide: Differing treatment and opportunities for remote and in office employees can create a two-tiered workforce. This isn’t fair, and can weaken team morale.

3.Trust issues: Quietly allowing remote work against official policies can create mistrust towards leadership, undermining morale and impacting collaboration.

4. Work culture and values: Without clear communication, company values and culture may not reach all teams, weakening the sense of belonging and stifling creativity and innovation. All employees need to feel valued and included in order to contribute their best ideas.

How to embed flexible working into your EVP from the start

Embedding transparent flexible working into your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is crucial for attracting and retaining top talent. By prioritising transparency, organisations not only show their commitment to accommodating diverse work preferences, but also create a culture of trust and inclusivity from the get go.?

Here are a few ways to get started when it comes integrating flexible working policies into your EVP:

Understand what your employees want?

Use data to understand the flexibility your employees need. Analysing the specific types of flexibility each employee requires, and why, puts you in a better position to offer them the kind of flexibility they need. For example, if 60% of your workforce prefers 2-3 days in the office but your policy mandates 5 days, there's clearly a disparity for you to look into. Assumptions can only take you so far. Look at the data to make informed decisions about your flexible working approach.

Be clear in your communications?

Document your flexible working policies clearly and share them with your employees. Ensure there is a single source of truth so everyone knows where to access them. Our company profile pages on Flexa simplify this process for Flexified companies, showcasing available flexible working arrangements and the reasons behind them. The more transparent you are, the better positioned you are to attract and retain talent.

Listen to your managers?

Your managers and leadership team should model desired behaviour. If they allow employees to override specific working policies, it's evident they are not fully committed to them. When implementing working policies, involve managers in the decision-making process. They know their teams the best, and are better positioned to understand the setups their teams need to thrive.?

Normalise flexible working By making flexible working the norm in your organisation, you eliminate the possibility of 'hush hybrid' scenarios. Recognising that all employees require some level of flexibility enables you to create a culture where everyone can feel comfortable working in a way that suits their lifestyle and continue to thrive at work.

Shout about your policies from the start When you have clear flexible working policies in place, use a platform like Flexa to promote them. By doing so, you will inevitably attract the right people to work for you. Many of our Flexified companies follow this strategy, with some reporting an increase of up to 65% in diversity within their hiring funnel.?

??This week’s must-read blogs

Is your EVP ready for the future of work? How to build an inclusive Employee Value Proposition (EVP) Insights from our candidate data: what job seekers want in 2024

? Discover your EVP pillars with our 2 minute quiz

Have you ever stopped to think about what makes up your EVP and the different areas that define you as a company? Whether you have given it a little thought or none at all, our EVP quiz can help. This quiz is designed to help you identify your most valuable EVP pillars so you can shout about them to retain top talent. Once you complete the quiz, you will be shown your EVP tags as per the below example. These tags will highlight your company mission and values, work culture, and working environment.

When you become a Flexified company , these tags can feature on your profile to help you retain top talent. Candidates can also use these EVP pillars to search for companies, making it easier to attract aligned talent. You can take the EVP quiz here .