Want greater inclusion and retention in your organization? Try flexibility.

Organizations everywhere are struggling to retain people as employee expectations shift in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In a global study conducted by EY, more than half of the people surveyed say they would quit their jobs if not given the flexibility they desire. Millennials and Gen Z are the most likely to want flexibility (at 90% and 88%, respectively) and nearly twice as likely to quit (60%) than Baby Boomers (33%) if it’s not offered to them.

The message is clear to businesses across the globe: if you’re not tailoring flexibility policies to the needs of your people, you risk losing them.

While introducing more flexible ways of working may challenge the traditional office environment, it provides an opportunity for employers to show they’re invested in their people, which helps build trust.

Flexibility at EY long precedes the COVID-19 pandemic. And while the concept of flexibility is always evolving, we’ve learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t. Often what’s standing in the way is a gap between what employers are doing to address flexibility (or what they think they’re doing) and what employees actually want and need.

Here are three actions that can help bridge that flexibility gap and foster a culture of inclusion in your organization:

1.???Make sure perceptions of flexibility align across the organization

Recent EY research shows nine out of 10 employees globally today want flexibility, but 35% of employers would prefer to see a full return to office post-pandemic. This gap of 55% proves that employers and employees aren’t necessarily on the same page, perhaps not even close.

According to research from Hult International Business School, one of the challenges that can lead to a gap in expectations is the fact that leaders have a tendency to overestimate the extent to which others are speaking up, as well as their own listening skills. Leaders need to actively listen and be open to new ideas. There are a number of ways to open up better conversations, including through group, individual and anonymous feedback, leveraging the results of employee experience surveys and asking everyone in the team to plan to respond and discuss an open item.

2.???Balance the unique needs of groups with individual experiences

It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on certain groups – particularly women of color, working parents and working adult caregivers. As a result, caregivers tend to have higher flexibility demands. The EY study shows that caregivers are more likely to want flexibility (91%) and more likely to quit (60%) if they aren’t offered it. And, it’s not just caregivers, as those with a disability are also more likely to want flexibility (91%) and much more likely to quit (74%) if they aren’t offered this flexibility than non-disabled employees (51%).

In pursuit of inclusion at EY, we work to take into account the needs of specific groups and teams are anchoring our diversity work around the employee-lived experience so all EY people can see themselves in the “picture”. One example is the EY “self-ID” campaign. Self-identifying provides the opportunity for employees to optionally share information about themselves across various diversity dimensions so we may better understand and support the needs of all EY people and ensure any hidden inequities are uncovered and addressed.

3.???Recognize the power of human connection

Research from Stanford University has shown that people who feel more connected to others have?higher self-esteem,?greater empathy and are?more trusting and cooperative.

In the context of flexibility, organizations can build better connections by encouraging authenticity and empathetic leadership. In another US study conducted by the EY organization, 87% of people surveyed say that empathy enables greater trust among employees and leaders. In the study, employees want to see more regularly scheduled one-on-ones, opportunities to give anonymous feedback and to receive frequent reminders they are in a safe space for open discussions. Teams can also try sharing stories beyond successes and acknowledge difficulties too, as well as talking more openly about how others are modelling flexibility to make flexible working feel safe.

Employers can continue to recognize that pressures stemming from employee turnover – not just on their businesses but on employees themselves – as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, continue to impact people differently. So that all our people can thrive, proactive listening and greater understanding of our workforces, their differences, their different experiences, and the ultimate impact of our culture and flexibility policies is essential in a world moving so fast around us.

?The views reflected in this article are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms.

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