Prioritising flexible working: 6 arrangements for employers to consider

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a startup founder or an HR professional, we all know that offering flexible working to your employees is essential in attracting and retaining the best talent post-pandemic. But when it comes to exploring flexible working examples and arrangements, it’s important to consider that there are many different options available, some of which you may have never considered before.

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution because every company has different goals and values, and with ‘The Great Resignation’ now a concern for many business leaders, it’s time to trust your employees to work when and how they want to if you want to get the best out of them. Keeping in mind that different employees require different arrangements will be key for unlocking increased productivity in your business.

The concept of flexible working has come to the fore during the pandemic, but what does it really mean? The truth is, it can mean a variety of things. From differing start and finish time, to days working at 'third workspace', flexible working ecompasses a shift away from the traditional 9-5 office model.

The pandemic proved to business leaders that employees can work successfully out of the office, and even more productively when their work set up is flexible and comfortable. In fact, a Harvard study showed that giving employees choice in where they worked could actually lead to a tangible 4.4% rise in output. Lockdown gave businesses no choice but to allow employees to work in their own homes and while it shook up legacy policies, it also helped to highlight the importance of each individual company finding the right balance that works for you and all of your employees.

The benefits of flexible work not only extend to improved performance, job satisfaction and retention when it comes to employees. But for businesses, the positives are vast - from reduced expenditure on office space, to lowering your carbon footprint.

It’s down to employers to push forward flexible policies in order to meet the needs of employees. You can show flexibility by being open to feedback from individuals, as well as considering their personal requirements and objectives when making decisions on how and where employees work.

Showing flexibility is often something to bear in mind when hiring too. With prospective employees now beginning to favour roles that offer flexible hours or a 4 day working week, it can help you to highlight that you’re open to flexibility and favour output and satisfaction over conforming to traditional structures. It could even help you to attract some of the best talent around, particularly young talent. According to a recent survey by Timewise, 92% of younger workers said they were either already working flexibly or would want to.

The term flexible working can mean many things, which is why it’s important for you to bear in mind that every employee and their working arrangement can, and should, be different. Rolling out flexible working might mean that a company has a 4 day working week, but this doesn’t mean that it will benefit every employee in the same way.

For instance, offering your employees flexible office space is a way for them to suit themselves, perhaps they have a week where they want to meet others and collaborate, or they might need a day alone to write a proposal or progress a project. Our work is varied, which is why our set up and surrounding environment needs to reflect this.

With this in mind, here are 6 flexible working arrangements to consider...

Flexible arrangements, such as allowing employees to set their own hours is a golden ticket to increasing productivity. With employees improving their work-life balance, not only can work fit better into their lifestyle, often helping individuals to prioritise health and wellbeing or juggle childcare arrangements. In turn, employees appreciate a greater level of autonomy and flexibility, boosting productivity in the hours that they work.

The working from anywhere phenomenon has taken off during the pandemic. This flexible arrangement means that no time is wasted commuting to the office, so it can help save money and increase productivity by 32%. Not only does it have environmental and cost-saving benefits, but boosts employee satisfaction (and therefore retention) too.

Job structures don’t have to be linear and although job sharing is nothing new, it’s worth considering when thinking about taking steps to make your company more flexible. By swapping between roles, employees can take turns in which days they work in an office or flexible workspace, freeing up time for additional training.

Compressing employees’ hours is another flexible working arrangement where employees have longer shifts, but fewer of them per week. Despite having longer days, employees can then redeem the hours elsewhere, such as taking additional days off to spend how they choose. This results in a spike in productivity on the days that employees are working and improves their happiness and wellbeing by having more days off to enjoy.

Part-time employment is also an option which will not only reduce the cost of employment but can boost employee satisfaction and retention. Some employees can often be as productive working part-time as they were previously. Why not consider a 4-day working week for them?

Empowering employees to choose where they work best is crucial and important for businesses to consider. Feeling more comfortable results in employees working more efficiently, whether that be from the head office, home or a 'third workspace'. Many companies are realising the benefits of hybrid working, allowing for a combination of individual and collaborative work between offices, homes, workspaces or even ‘working from anywhere’, with some employees choosing to take ‘extended workations’ and combine holidays with work.

While there’s no golden rule for flexible working, it’s important to consider options available. Leaders must trust employees and support their individual arrangements in order to hold onto and attract the best talent. In turn, this will help your company meet and maybe even exceed its goals in 2022 and beyond.

To find out more about how NearU can help you prioritise flexible working, you can download our app from the App Store or Google Play. Or book a demo to roll it out to your workforce here.

Images by Storyset.