Strategizing Flexibility In The Workplace

Scott Hoots is the CEO of QC Kinetix, a leader in the regenerative medicine industry.

Flexibility is the name of the game in today’s marketplace. A flexible workplace, however, encompasses many ways of accommodating the diverse needs of employees in order to maximize performance. It might involve flexible scheduling, hours, location, dress code or even how your company handles PTO.

Most of us have been introduced to at least one of these new concepts in flexibility, which are designed to create a positive organizational culture and give the edge in recruiting top-notch talent and increasing employee retention.

However, I believe that workplace flexibility requires customization, and as leaders, we must do what’s best for our organization. For my team, for example, this translates to finding a balance and staying engaged in a traditional office environment while giving my staff the freedom they need to feel empowered and thus valued.

Choosing Between Options In Flexibility

Certainly, the catalyst for the changes we’re encountering in the workplace is the result of the 2020 stay-at-home orders caused by the pandemic. We’re all navigating this paradigm shift, which calls for a pragmatic approach that includes hybrid, remote or in-person schedules.

A mixed schedule is preferred by roughly half of employees in jobs that permit remote work, per Gallup statistics. Of these, over one-third choose to work remotely, and less than 10% want to work exclusively on-site.

The scale tips both ways depending on your standpoint because, for some employees, the sought-after hybrid work schedule can actually be “exhausting.”

It’s important to examine the pros and cons as they pertain to your situation. While your staff may love the freedom to work from wherever they are, this can consequently create a disconnect to the core of your organization.

On the other hand, the autonomy to determine the work site is believed to create less burnout due to this flexibility in work locations. Yet, collaborating on team projects can sometimes be frustrating due to the inherent challenges associated with coordinating with colleagues and overcoming communication barriers. How malleable your company is in addressing these challenges depends on your specific needs.

Three Steps For Managing Flexibility

In the end, it’s about evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of a flexible workplace and tailoring them to your needs. The bottom line is you have to do what’s best for your organization.

1. Set Expectations And Create A Welcoming Environment

Whether you gain feedback from your employees or set a policy in place, you’ve got to have transparency about your flexibility blueprint and communicate that to your team to avoid any confusion.

We all know things can go sideways in a hurry when the team is unaware. At my company, I felt it necessary to foster a culture of teamwork that was most effective with people working in a physical office. Everyone is made aware of this policy, and new hires understand this is not a remote position. This helps manage expectations.

This works for our model. We have about 20 people who work in our international support center. Based on my experience, if you have a physical office space, make sure to intentionally choose a desirable office location, usually in the heart of a vital city with ample conveniences. You want to have people in your office who align with your goals. You want them to be happy coming to work, so seize opportunities to create a fun work environment where they are valued.

Some of the commitments I’ve made to our in-house team, which you might consider, include:

• Providing paid parking.

• Creating a library for employees to check out books.

• Promoting a spirit week.

• Sponsoring yoga sessions.

2. Lead People

I have found that it’s important to have a degree of flexibility with your work policies. For example, if people need time off, they should get it. But taking a line from a recent Harvard Business Review article, it’s best to focus on the work, not the where.

If you want a positive culture, workplace flexibility is what you make it. Due to the nature of my company’s franchise, we speak to territory managers all over the country. We also engage a remote workforce through bi-weekly calls via Microsoft Teams.

It’s important to make calls like these engaging and designed to keep everyone communicating. You can provide fun opportunities for remote employees to feel a part of the organization through activities like quarterly happy hours. For ours, this is a “no-business allowed” social interaction where we hang out, play games and share stories.

3. Gauge Results

Look at the comprehensive metrics to determine if your flexible workplace policy, whether it’s hybrid, remote or in-person, is working. Consider utilizing these tools.

• Employee surveys. Find out if your team is satisfied with the current policy and if it’s truly providing the flexibility they need to be productive. Giving them a voice and engaging them allows them to take ownership and feel included and part of the plan. Invite the team to share ideas for improvement.

• Production. Determine if work is getting done efficiently and effectively and at the quality needed. Look at your attrition and retention rates. Are they better, worse or stagnant?

• Well-being. Determine if your policy decreases burnout or helps keep workloads manageable. Is your team enjoying a healthy work-life balance? To me, nothing is better than one-on-one reviews with my team, giving them a space to express themselves and feel like they are being heard.

Rinse And Repeat

Workplace flexibility policies are designed to be fluid. They should not be set in stone, so review them often and adjust when necessary. As your organization evolves, so too must essential policies.

For me, I want the core of this policy to be that my team knows they are cared about. While appreciation provides value and creates a positive culture that can improve your bottom line, at the heart of all this is your people and providing them with the tools and environment they need to be challenged and take pride in their work. The best workplace flexibility strategy is to implement a customized approach that suits your team’s needs.

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