How To Improve Your Flexible Working Environment
12th Apr 2023
What is a flexible working environment?
A flexible working environment gives employees more control over where, when and how they work — offering working options such as fully remote, remote-first, hybrid, flexible hours, job sharing and part-time or compressed hours.
A flexible working environment separates itself from the traditional 9-6 office environment. Instead, employees have the freedom to work from home, a co-working space, or another location which suits them. Flexible working helps them to achieve a balance between their work and personal life, reduce stress and improve job satisfaction!
A huge benefit of having a flexible working environment is that employers can attract and retain top talent, improve productivity and reduce costs associated with having a physical office space full-time.Improving your working environment
Improving your company's working environment, with a focus on flexibility, can be a complex process. There’s a lot to think about, and every company’s flexibility is unique to them and their employees – that’s part of what makes it flexible!
However, with careful planning and a solid strategy in place, it’s totally worth it. You can instantly boost your employer brand, hire more efficiently and reduce costs by taking a flexible approach. All whilst achieving an improved FlexScore.
A FlexScore is a 2-step verification process which benchmarks your company’s flexibility against thousands of data points, combined with an employee survey to determine how flexible your working environment really is - learn more about FlexScore and how it’s calculated 💯
To rate your flexibility, we look at six key areas; let’s dive in 👇Location 🌎
The more flexible you are with location, the higher your location FlexScore will be. For example, if you require employees to meet more often or be in the office multiple times a week, your FlexScore will be lower than if your team only met once a month.
Keep in mind the more flexible you are, the higher your FlexScore will be and the more attention and engagement you’ll receive on the Flexa platform 🤩
Remember, though, flexibility is about choice. Some people love to work in the office a few days a week. Yet, others might want to work remotely full-time - with the Flexa platform, candidates can use our powerful search filters to find the right balance of in and out of the office that fits their needs.Hours 🕛
Core hours like 10-4 or 11-3 are a complete game changer, particularly for those who need to balance parental/caring responsibilities, but also for those on your team who are at their most productive early mornings or late evenings. Some companies offer completely asynchronous hours or compressed hours, and some offer a little flex on either side of the working day. The point is you need to find what works for your team and your business.
More flexibility around your working hours = a higher FlexScore.Autonomy 🔥
Autonomy is critical to creating and improving your flexible working environment. This means giving employees the freedom to work in a way that best suits them, including when and where they do their best work.
The bottom line of autonomy is trusting your team to work in the way that suits them. Autonomous teams are more productive, happier, and healthier and enable employees to take ownership of their work, leading to more fulfilment and greater success both personally and professionally.Benefits 🤩
Benefits no longer mean pension plans or fruit and ping-pong tables in the office. Now, the benefits you offer showcase the type of company you are and what you value.
Show off your culture and what you care about most by offering benefits that employees genuinely value; this might include benefits such as enhanced parental leave, pawternity leave, enhanced sick pay and fertility treatment leave or benefits that support your team’s health and wellness.Role-modelling ↕️
A genuinely flexible working environment means flexibility for all, including the leadership team! Workplace change has to be modelled all the way to the top of your business.
Flexibility on paper isn't true flexibility unless it's embraced and modelled by the leadership team. Without leaders who actively demonstrate and promote flexible working, employees may not feel empowered or supported to take advantage of these options. Leaders need to lead by example and prioritise their own flexible working arrangements to create a culture where flexible working is genuinely valued and accessible for all team members.
This is why the second stage of the 2-step verification process is so important. We survey your employees to understand whether flexibility is truly reflected in your workplace environment.
This means your FlexScore is double-verified and trusted by hundreds of thousands of people.Work-life balance ⚖️
The term coined by psychologist Professor Anthony Klotz - the Great Resignation - forced companies to adapt during Covid-19 or face a surge of resignations rapidly. The pandemic gave a taster of what it’s like to have more flexibility enabling employees to create a better balance between their work and personal lives.
The norm is no longer your traditional 9-5 office environment; the new normal is flexible working. Companies must offer work-life balance to compete to retain and attract top talent.
Offering work-life balance, including flexibility around location and hours, and offering benefits such as Work From Anywhere schemes, unlimited annual leave, or summer hours can help push your FlexScore higher. It’s ultimately all about offering freedom and choice to your employees – one size does not fit all. Likewise, what works for one business may not be suitable for another.
Creating a genuinely flexible workplace begins with first seeing the value of offering it. Then understanding the six key aspects of a flexible working environment: location, hours, autonomy, benefits, role-modelling and work-life balance.
Then it’s over to you! Figure out a plan and implement the changes that work for your business and team so everyone can thrive!
If you’ve taken our quiz already and aren’t happy with your score, remember our suggestions above. Once you’ve made a few changes, you can retake the quiz and pass with flying colours 🌈