Turning temporary flexible working arrangements into a permanent option

By Shaun Scantlebury and Iain Harrison

The COVID-19 global pandemic has seen businesses adapt to new working practices quicker than ever before. The enforced move to remote working has transformed the whole conversation on whether flexible working is possible in roles that were previously seen as unsuited for any variation in ways of working. For example, we have seen contact centres move to virtual operation in weeks not years, and architects completing assignments without setting foot on site.

 In this article we strike a note of caution for hailing the dawn of a new age of remote working before highlighting the opportunity, challenge and considerations for transitioning back to work with a fresh perspective on flexible working.  

Remote versus flexible working arrangements 

It’s fair to say there have been mixed reviews when it comes to working from home. Some people have welcomed the lack of commute, the opportunity to have dinner with the family, lunch with their partner, and flexibility to exercise during the working day. For others, they cannot wait to get away from congested kitchen tables, shared wi-fi, or the claustrophobia of the one-bedroom flat.  

But before we get carried away, we need to be clear that remote working is not the same as flexible working. Flexibility in job design occurs when organisations empower the workforce with a broader range of options for when and for how long they work, and the allocation of tasks and outcomes to job roles. Some or all of these are up for grabs when capturing the lessons from how roles adapted to the crisis mode.  

 It’s also important to have clarity on the business drivers for increasing the opportunity for flexible working. What we mean by this is that just because people have been able to work remotely, does not mean that it will drive the right outcomes for every department in your company.  

Opportunities arising from flexible working  

• Improved productivity – A number of organisations have experienced improved or comparable productivity associated with remote working. Time saved on the daily commute has been a widely quoted benefit in past research and with the crash course that so many of us are having in digital engagement with the right support there is an opportunity for further benefits from virtual working and collaboration. 
• Improved organisation resilience – in responding to the crisis, organisations have looked to shared responsibility for mission critical roles. This has the potential to open up a wider set of senior positions to a new pool of talent as organisations look to job shares as something to encourage across more senior roles. 
• Cost efficiencies – As many offices lie empty, organisations are considering how physical space requirements will change and whether the rationale for going to a physical space to work has shifted.  Also, as employees reflect on what they wish to retain from the current way of working there is an opportunity to engage the workforce on a conversation about what they value and identifying what employees would trade for increased flexibility rather than assuming that the current value proposition remains fit for purpose.  

 Challenges arising from flexible working 

•  Lack of team relationships and collaboration – flexible working arrangements may contribute to fewer colleague interactions and lead to flexible workers feeling isolated. Managers may need to find a solution to this problem if team members have opposing working hours.  
• Measuring work output – this can be unclear and difficult when flexible working arrangements are new. Managers must understand that visibility is not the key to performance and instead set key targets and deadlines to benchmark against.  

 Key considerations for making flexible working a permanent option 

 What is the business case? 

• What cost benefits have been realised and/or what benefits could be assumed if certain crisis management steps were retained? 
• How have customers responded to new service provisions and channels? 
• What have employees valued about the need to work remotely? 
• What activities have been conducted equally well or more effectively remotely? 
• What talent pools could be more accessible if temporary adjustments were retained? 

What level of support is needed to sustain a more flexible workforce? You may want to think about: 

• Impact on workforce planning, role design and employee experience 
• IT infrastructure 
• Capability development for leaders and teams (e.g., communications, team management and use of collaboration tools) 
• Employee value proposition and reward (e.g., does a car scheme make sense when the sales force is selling remotely?) 
• Impact on occupancy and physical space requirements 

Who is it right for and who decides?  

• What is the right balance of employer versus employee driven flexibility?  
• Which departments have the greatest potential to adopt new practices?  
• Where could pilots be quickly implemented? 

As it becomes clearer what guidelines will be put in place to restart the economy, employers should not lose sight that in addition to the question of ‘how can we get people back to work?’ there is even greater opportunity in the question ‘how should we?’ 

Click here to find out about the four-day work week study conducted by Henley Business School

It’s time for HR to embrace disruption and reimagine the workplace find out more here

A Safe Return to Physical Work Environments: How do you build trust in times of uncertainty? Read our latest blog here