What flexible working actually is

What is flexible working, really?

Hello! Welcome to the second edition of my newsletter. If you’ve been forwarded this, please do subscribe here so you receive future newsletters straight to your inbox ??

Now, this might seem like a weirdly simplistic topic to choose to write a newsletter on, but you’d be amazed at how complex the whole concept of flexible working really is, so I thought I’d use my expertise to try to demystify a very ambiguous term.?

So, this week, I’ll be talking about:

?? Flexible working ≠ fully remote.

?? The 6 key ingredients of flexibility

?? 4 companies who are doing flexibility right

?? Flexa sees 100,000s of searches a month - learn about the flexibility people look for

??? How to successfully create a flexible working environment in three easy steps

First things first: flexible working ≠ fully remote

The definition of “flexible working” is widely misunderstood, and misused. Since the pandemic, flexible working seems to have become synonymous with a way of working that involves no rules and no expectations. Whereas, in reality, that is far from the case.?

Flexibility is a spectrum - ranging from hybrid working with set days in the office, all the way through to being able to work from anywhere, anytime. My ideal version of flexibility (remote-first, core hours of 11-3, and a dog-friendly office) is not necessarily your ideal version of flexibility, and we need to be able to respect that in order to make progress.?

For many companies, working fully remotely with asynchronous hours is not a possibility… and that’s ok! We shouldn’t be holding companies to an unachievable standard, because this harms progress in the long-run. Just because one person sees fully remote with asynchronous hours as their ideal, that doesn’t mean everyone does.?

My preferences don’t have to be your preferences and, at the end of the day, we’re all free (within reason) to be able to choose the company, and therefore working environment, that we want to work in.?

So, what are the crucial components of flexible working?

According to extensive research from us at Flexa, and our nearly one million users, these are the things that make a successful flexible working environment:

??Location - offering a degree of freedom and choice around working location. That could be the option to work from home two days a week, right through to being able to travel the world for three months a year and work at the same time.?

?Hours - offering a degree of flexibility in hours. This ranges from a little flex in start and finish time through to working whenever as long as the role is done well. 4-day weeks, part-time, etc. would all fall in here too.

??Benefits - these are added extras that make someone’s experience of flexibility even better. Some examples include: dog-friendly offices, enhanced parental leave, mental health leave, or?

??Work-life balance - it’s pretty hard to experience flexibility if feel like you’re chained to a desk (regardless of whether that’s at home or in an office) for 80 hours a week! Enough said…

??Trust and autonomy - in order for flexible working to be successful, employers have to afford trust to their employees to work in a way that’s best for them. Without trust, people cannot make the most of the freedom and choice that flexible working encourages.?

??Senior leadership role modelling - are senior leadership working flexibly too? Culture is dictated from the top, and if leadership are in the office everyday at all hours, it’s highly unlikely that there’ll be a culture of empowering people to work flexibly.?

We assess all of these areas of flexibility with employees during our Flexification process - the world’s only flexible working accreditation - giving an accurate and reliable representation of flexibility within a company.?

These can be embodied in so many different ways. Here are some amazing examples of getting creative with flexibility:

Paddle offer a work from anywhere scheme with the added benefit of an AirBnb allowance to enable everyone to be able to enjoy.?Check them out here .

Form3 have completely embraced supporting freedom and choice!? They have employees in over 30 countries, offer 30 days of annual leave (plus bank holidays), a work from anywhere scheme to work outside your country of residence, and sabbaticals.?Check them out here .

Huel have nailed hybrid flexible working, with core hours of 10-4, a super dog-friendly office and lots of perks when people do come in, as well as a free on-site gym and half day Fridays! Check them out here .

JBM offer a four day week, unlimited annual leave, with an optional office that the team can use if they want to, showing that small companies can still offer amazing work-life balance.?Check them out here .

There is no freedom without boundaries, and flexible working is all about offering maximum choice within boundaries that enable sustainable business growth.?

Here are some examples of the most popular combinations of filters that people are using to find their own version of flexibility, based on our lifestyle quiz we launched earlier this year:

??Parent: Hybrid working + fully flexible hours?

??Dog lover: Dog friendly + remote first

??Night owl: Fully remote + fully flexible hours

???Wanderlust traveller: Fully remote + work from anywhere scheme + co-working allowance

How to create your own version of flexibility in three easy steps:

1.Ask your employees what they want, and how they rate your culture right now. You can structure it around the six key areas that I mentioned above, or create your own.

2. Decide a minimum commitment to flexible working that will suit the majority of your employees. Remember, you do not have to please everyone, and this doesn’t have to be the way that you will work forever. It’s a starting point and can be iterated upon.?

3. Communicate your working environment widely.?

• Make sure that existing employees understand what’s on offer and what’s expected of them.?
• Clearly state what your working environment consists of on your careers page, job descriptions, and in your interview processes.

4. Ensure that you’re being seen in the right places - 79% of job seekers use social media when evaluating their next role / employer, so shout about your culture and encourage your employees to do so as well. You should also consider joining Flexa !

Ultimately, unless you’re offering literally no flexibility at all, there are tens of thousands of people out there who want exactly what you have, so don’t be ashamed of your own version of flexibility! And, if you do offer no flexibility at all, remember that only 8% of people want to go into an office every day - that’s a small talent pool to which you will appeal.

Above everything, remember that there is no “right” version of flexible working, as long as you are offering a level of choice and freedom in your working environment. However, it’s crucial to be open and transparent about what you offer, as this will ensure that you find the perfect candidates that suit your working environment.?

Find out if your flexible working environment stacks up against the market in our free, 2 minute, workplace benchmarking survey . You’ll receive custom insights on whether you’re offering what candidates are looking for, as well as strengths and opportunities for the future.?