From whichever perspective you look at it, there is no doubting that employees love workplace flexibility and having such an arrangement could go a long way in helping them work better and with more motivation. Nevertheless, not all employers are enthusiastic about this kind of an arrangement and this is basically caused by lack of proper information or poor management of workplace flexibility. As an employer, it is good to know that flexibility benefits you more than it does your employees. With employees’ morale high and absenteeism low, companies and businesses can reap the fruits of proper work-life balance.
Starting on a flexible work plan
Before starting a flexible work plan, it will be good to understand that the process is not that easy. There are many hurdles you are likely to encounter but if properly managed, everything will turn out just fine. As you begin this process, it’s always good to know that workplace flexibility is an important factor for quality employee attraction and retention. In this article, I will be discussing work flexibility and how to handle flexibility at work for guaranteed success.
What is workplace flexibility?
First of all, it will be good to understand what work flexibility means. According to experts, workplace flexibility has to do with where, when and how employees accomplish their work commitments. These three factors play an important role in maintaining employee commitment to their employers and motivation to accomplish the tasks assigned to them. Of course, work flexibility should not only work in favor of the employees but should also be able to address the needs of both parties involved in the equation.
Managing work flexibility for quality work-life balance
Provide proper training
Employers should first educate their staff members on how to handle the new work approach responsibly. In many instances, work flexibility fails when employees approach it without understanding how they should conduct themselves for the good of the employer or the company. For this reason, employers should conduct regular review and training sessions for their employees as a way of enlightening them on what is required of them within a flexible work environment.
For easier transition and flow, managers should be the first target group to be trained on how to handle flexibility within their teams. Without proper education being offered to both managers and junior employees, flexibility at work place can easily fail or see employees take advantage of their employees.
Come up with a clear strategy
To make flexibility work at the workplace, companies and business entities should also seek help from consultants on how to develop a flexible work approach that works well not only in attracting and retaining employees but also that is capable of contributing to the company brand. This can be done by identifying the different employee demographics in order to understand best on how their needs can be handled. For example, mature staff members might need a different approach than the one taken on younger employees. Being able to identify these needs will help come up with different flexibility options that won’t fail.
Clear communication mechanisms
In addition, to training and flex work strategy, there is need to establish a continuous communication approach that ensures that flexibility at work is kept in the focus and that managers and staff understand what is available to make flexibility successful. It is therefore important for managers to learn how well to communicate with employees under them especially when they request for a flexible work arrangement.
Employers should also take time to assess the success of the strategies put in place and determine whether they need any adjustments to make them better. It is therefore clear that flexibility at work is not a destination but a process that requires proper handling if it has to succeed. The above three components are therefore important and should help make things better while promoting greater productivity.
