It looks like #remote and #flexible working isn’t going to be flexible after all. It will be the rigid new normal.

“But is BUSINESS ready?

Is your business ready?”

A big change is coming. It's remote working. And flexibility in contracts. We can see this trend coming. BUT... In a recent survey of 11,000 workers and 6,500 business leaders by Harvard Business School and Boston Consulting Group, only 30 percent, of the people asked thought their businesses was prepared for the change.

Which is odd isn’t it. As it’s been a long time coming.

The BAD old days…

The days of mass hours, of factory like working conditions, of silo’ed thinking, of obsessional male egos running the show, and of toxic work environments due to negative company cultures has caused burnout, unhappiness and gender inequity. As people struggle more and more to find time for children or passions or pets or any sort of life besides what they do for a paycheck.

With many people, of all generations, being happy to take a pay cut to help their mental health. And even swap jobs. So more and more people expect and demand flexibility — with daily things, like

-      the ability to work remotely,

-      come in late or leave early,

-      or make time for exercise or meditation.

Along with bigger things like:

-      generous vacation time (in some cases limitless…)

-      technology that works off site and not just works but excels

-      and paid leave for a new baby

Which brings us on to the next point. Once upon a time flexible and remote working was just for mums…. No longer.

Flexibility should not just for yoga mums.

So we can now happily report

“it’s no longer just mothers of young children who are using flexible schedules.”

But it is sad to say… that often women get penalized when that happens — social scientists call it the flexibility stigma — and their careers often never recover in terms of pay or promotions.

But when more fathers and people who aren’t parents ask for flexibility, the stigma could lessen. I believe in the future we won’t even think about it.

However, I can remember in the past – I had to run my own business to give myself the flexibility I needed to take care of my daughter when she was young. Would I have to do that now when older?

Which brings us onto age.

Is flexibility really just about you showing your age?

Being Flex….It's NOT just an age ting.

Which is great news. As I am 43. So it was interesting to read in a survey by Werk, which helps companies add flexibility strategies, that older employees are just as likely as younger people to want flexibility. However, they’re less likely to have it, though, because they’re less likely to ask for it. Especially when already in a job.

And now more and more young people, recruiters say, are asking for their flexibility upfront, and some prioritize it over pay or seniority. Recruiters no longer see it as something to negotiate for, said Marcee Harris Schwartz, the national director of diversity and inclusion at BDO, the accounting firm:

“Flexibility.

It’s just assumed it’s part of the deal.”

And with this assumed deal – isn’t there an assumed element of trust?

It’s a trust thing.

As companies that embrace flexible working have to trust their employees. In turn their employees need to trust that the technology works and that they can be seen to be working. It is this KEY point on trust that I will leave you with.

This is the greatest culture shift.

It’s whether your team trust you and each other to honour flexible working – to do the work you are meant to do. And to do the objectives set. Not just the work. But the work for the reason of the company. This is what is key for the winners and losers in the future of work.

Not just can I trust people to work. But will they hit their objectives and targets. Not will they just BE in work. It is this where trust has to go both ways. The #FutureWorker has be autonomous and apply to work productively without being overly managed. To be trusted to remote work.

I say this whilst writing this blog - for The Landing - the innovation and tech hub for MediaCityUK - whilst working remotely. Much to their credit. And so I know trust The Landing more to have my back as a team - if I have to work from home (for example if Amazon are delivering key secret things for Christmas and I have an eye appointment in the afternoon - true story...)

And it's this TRUST which is important as...

“Compared with people at low-trust companies, people at high-trust companies report :

-      74% less stress,

-      106% more energy at work,

-      50% higher productivity,

-      13% fewer sick days,

-      76% more engagement,

-      29% more satisfaction with their lives,

-      and 40% less burnout.

But, it’s not about being easy on your employees or expecting less from them. High-trust companies hold people accountable but without micromanaging them. They treat people like responsible adults.”

Perhaps this is all what people want in the end. To be treated like adults. And you know what? The bosses that do this the most. They will get and keep the best people.

And in the end – whether we like it or not – it’s the people that run OUR businesses.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

IS FLEXIBLE WORKING AN AMAZING THING TO HAPPEN TO WORK?

Have your say below.... I love to hear your thoughts on...

#FutureOfWork #TheFutureWorker

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Here are some other LinkedIn articles written by me:

· Scary on #Halloween is do some #games mean to #trickortreat you? @ukmarketinghelp gets interviewed about it on @BBCWatchdog

· Football: a beautiful game and a wonderful #business metaphor.

· What's your why? Or what's your why not? #MondayMotivation for #Tech4Good and #GMFutureOfHealth.

About The Author....

Dan Sodergren is a professional technology and digital marketing trainer and occasional futurist keynote speaker. He is a digital marketing trainer based in Manchester with Great Marketing Works. He trains companies and individuals in digital, social and mobile marketing. He also sometimes gets to talk about it all on radio and is even occasionally on the BBC.

He is an early stage investor in HR tech company FLOCK and now works as head of business services and marketing at the MediaCityUK innovation tech hub - The Landing.

The Landing @ MediaCity UK is workspace, community, business support, user experience testing labs, maker lab and events. The Landing is the technology enterprise incubator for high-growth companies at the heart of MediaCityUK.

However, all the comments and thoughts in this blog are from Dan Sodergren and to not necessarily represent the views and position of The Landing. Find out more about Dan Sodergren on bit.ly/DanSodergren