Flexible Work: What's In It for Me? (and Me?) (and Me?)
Today we're introducing a feature we hope you will find both valuable and insightful. It's called "Ask the Founders" featuring our founders Meryl Rosenthal, President & CEO and Robin Roschke CTO & COO and they'll be providing answers to your burning questions about flexible work best practices, telecommuting policies, the legalities related to the flexible workplace, and workforce productivity.
Meryl (left) describes her flexible work style as "flex time all the time...in other words, always being flexible- at work, at home - at life."
Robin (right) describes her flexible work style as "Virtual Worker: no place is off limits."
Today's question came through via a Direct Message on Twitter. We were given permission to post this question, however, we are honoring their request for anonymity.
Does "flex work" really work for the employer and the non-flex work employees?
MERYL:
Flex work doesn't really work if there isn't a common definition, commitment, and gameplan to make it work, both from the employer and employee standpoints. Getting on the same page is key. Once there is movement in that direction the sky is the limit. For those who choose to limit themselves by technology, trust, stigma..it won't work.
ROBIN:
Flex Work, if done appropriately, benefits all the flexers, non-flexers, managers, and executives. The trick is defining "appropriately". Really, the word "appropriate" should be replaced with "effective" and/or "productive".
Furthermore, the subjectivity and personal aspects of flexible work should be removed. After all – who cares if I need to flex my job because I want to earn an MBA versus care for a parent versus adopt a baby a China…the reality is that the EVERYONE needs to flex as a result of a broad spectrum of personal and professional change.
MERYL:
This truly changes the dialogue to a business dialogue. It level sets. It isn't just about when, where, how much, and how the work gets done, but it is about getting the work done.
ROBIN:
The kicker is that companies benefit from employees “flex’ing” their jobs.
How?
By removing subjectivity and creating an operating environment where flexers, non-flexers, and leaders are clear on definitions, assumptions, and “rules of the road”. When this happens, you actually create and environment of trust and respect NOT one based on line of sight and water cooler chat. Trust, respect, wellness, work-life effectiveness are all soft benefits that drive quantifiable benefits including but not limited to reduced expenses and increased revenues. From a corporate perspective this means greater productivity plus the ability to engage across multiple population segments.
MERYL:
Opening the dialogue is key - across teams, direct reports, manager to manager. And ensuring that managers and employees have the resources, confidence, and competencies to do it well.
ROBIN:
The question each company should be asking is...What is the specific business case for flex? ...and realistically build a flexible work model that addresses that.
MERYL:
And make that case relevant to the business and work environment you are in - and update it as situations change. For our corporate clients, the importance and linkages to flex work morph - they may start with retaining top talent and expand to more bottom line business benefits like real estate cost savings.
ROBIN:
So assuming employees and managers want flex and the company wants to utilize flex, the next step is providing fair access, optimizing utilization and creating a collaborative and engaged workforce.
MERYL:
While flexible working has been talked about and companies are rallying around it, these are the next steps requiring systemized solutions and tools to truly take flexible work from foundational to functional.
We invite you to submit your questions via the "Ask Us Anything" link in the sidebar. You can also ask via any of our other social channels including our Facebook page, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Every once in a while, we may bring in one of our partners to weigh in, as well.