A flexible work environment used to mean simply letting people work from home. But now, as a ballooning number of organizations embrace and extend their remote work and hybrid arrangements, companies are tasked with figuring out additional offerings to make their work environment and culture more flex-friendly.
Consider these small ways that employers can provide flexibility, which can make a big difference in the employee experience and retention in the long run:
Remote Months
Not all work-from-home arrangements are created alike. For companies that aren’t willing or able to greenlight total flexibility in letting workers decide when and where they’ll work (and even those that are), there’s the option of allowing a remote month each year to give staff the chance to experience a block of planned flex work. CNBC referred to this option as an annual “workcation,” or an extended stretch of weeks that give staff “one of the greatest perks of the work-from-home scheme.”
The benefits of a month or months of virtual work each year include a more predictable on-site presence of employees during most months of the year, as well as less chance of employees experiencing some of the common complaints about working from home, such as missing the camaraderie of the office.
Flexible Schedules
Offering employees the choice of which hours they spend in the office can go a long way in fostering a feeling of flexibility. Loosening the reins on a rigid 9-to-5, “butts in seats” mentality gives workers a chance to get the job done at the times when they’ll be most focused and prepared.
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If someone is able to commit to pulling their eight hours from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., or 4 p.m. to midnight, and it won’t affect the company’s products, services, or customers, you can create great team loyalty by letting people determine their own hours more flexibly.
Swapping Weekends for Weekdays
In your industry, does it matter whether an employee works a traditional Monday-to-Friday work week if they still complete their work and excel in their tasks? Many jobs can be performed just as well on a weekend day as on a weekday, so adding an option to switch days on with days off may make sense.
For one thing, workers will be happy to have a weekday to accomplish personal matters, like appointments and errands that may be harder for them to pull off on weekends. Furthermore, without workplace distractions, people may be able to stay more focused on tasks that require deep work.
Expand Level Eligibility for WFH
In some companies, only certain positions, such as management, are newly eligible to work from home on an extended basis as the pandemic gradually transitions. It’s worthwhile to consider the benefits of rolling this eligibility down the ladder for both workers and employers. If a job can be efficiently performed from home, consider expanding your company’s definition of eligibility.
Assistants have as much or more personal need for workplace flexibility as managers do, so make sure you’re offering fair and equitable access to remote work. Even if at first glance it seems difficult to do certain jobs remotely, explore different platforms and newer tech tools that can enable many more tasks to be completed remotely than prior to the pandemic.
Individualize Flexible Options
Since different employees have different needs, employers that work with each individual to customize a flexible plan that works best for him or her will score points over their competitors. While one team member may value having Wednesday afternoons off to be with family, another may have caretaking needs that are best met on Monday mornings. Avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach to your flexible work environment is a great way to create happy teams.
Take a creative approach to creating a flexible work environment in your organization. Small shifts in your approach to employee flexibility can make all the difference to your teams, ultimately resulting in better outcomes for all involved.
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