Workplace flexibility, an alternative to traditional workplace models facilitates employees to choose when, where, and how to work. Your employees are no more restricted to a cubicle for eight-ten hours but are allowed to work from their comfort place and time.
Thanks to mobile and cloud technology employees can check their mail status while catching a flight on a business trip, reply to a client while sipping coffee at a café bar and work whatever hours they want.
Sounds great!
Workplace flexibility is surging everywhere.
But, wait! At what cost?!
Is your company compromising while providing workplace flexibility?
Though mobility is a step towards alluring remote talent and enhanced employee experience, it cannot be done at the cost of security and compliance. Chief human resource officers (CHRO) must be aware of challenges in a flexible workplace.
Let us know the advantages and concerns of workplace flexibility, and how CHROs can address them.
Advantages of workplace flexibility
“Workplace flexibility has a lot to do with productivity. The more flexible we make the work environment, the more we can provide workers with what they need to manage their lives and their jobs. We end up with higher productivity. It is great for the economy and the companies,” says Brenda Barnes, CEO, Sara Lee Corporation
Digital employee experience is becoming the norm in many enterprises. Chief HR officers are promoting this cultural shift because it facilitates employees to work in individual work styles. The digital features include accessibility to company app and data, online search, freedom to work on personal devices and choose Android or iOS, PC or Mac to have a unified experience.
Employers are finding advantages with this new norm such as employees working extra hours, increased productivity, reduced commuting costs, engage employees by facilitating personal obligations, etc.
Some of the benefits include:
- Attract and retain the best talent
- Reduce employee turnover
- Expand availability to clients
- Meet globalization demands
- Increase productivity
- Decrease workplace accidents
- Grant employee hours
With all these benefits, CHROs must evaluate the effectiveness and fine-tune the practices. There are certain major concerns that need to be addressed with the remote workforce.
Overcoming challenges of workplace flexibility
The remote workforce will increase in number as more companies make an effort to improve work-life balance. It is one of the attractive benefits a company can offer. This is the era where the teamwork with other colleagues who they never met in person.
Managing remote employees comes with challenges too that should be addressed as a top priority. CHROs play a key role in overcoming them. Let us see the major concerns and how to rule out them.
Communication
The remote team is out of sight. That does not mean they are out of the team. Zogby Analytics reports say that 38% of employees lacked information from management and 39% say timeliness of the information is the biggest obstacle. Also, they find it difficult to learn new procedures in absentia.
The best way to communicate is to use technology. Some of the communication tools include Google hangout, Facebook, Skype, or WhatsApp. However, one communication app or platform is more effective. Keep your availability transparent and encourage feedback.
Further, it is necessary to document all the procedures. Collaboration tools such as shared tools and cloud-based project management software help shattered team to work together as they know when and how to reach one another.
Security
A flexible work environment has information security risks. Bring your own device (BYOD) and cloud-based applications are the biggest vulnerabilities of modern organizations. Poor employee awareness and education might cost security compromise.
CHROs must have a plan and policy while implementing the strategy for the mobile workforce. They should consider employee training, crisis planning, company-issued equipment, mobile device management, and secured resource access for remote workers.
While shaping a collaboration with security experts, Chief HR officers must assure how mobile workers can access data securely, how it is protected from unauthorized access, and what mobile workers should do when they experience a technical failure.
New HR policies based on the security experts’ suggestions must be released. Accordingly, remote employees must be trained. Chief human resource officers must advocate flexible workforce programs, increase employee productivity and experience while minimizing risks.
Unified company culture
Mobile workers miss the office culture. To maintain the personal connection and collaborate with the employees while working remote, small team huddles through a conference call or video call is a good way to go.
CHROs may try to have them in the office once in a while. Frequent virtual meetings and quarterly in-person meetings are suggested to increase team bonding and employee engagement. A virtual open-door policy for the remote team helps them to communicate with anyone and fosters unified culture among the diversified team members.
Tracking performance
One significant challenge that a company faces with remote force is that they fail to ensure the work accomplished by remote workers. They may not know how the remote workers perform, whether their work meets the company’s standards, or they got engaged in specified hours of duty.
It is necessary to have a system that ensures open communication channels for the team. Employees must ensure their work completed on the specified day. Offering a co-working space is also a good idea, as it helps to work in a distraction-free environment. A quantitative way of evaluation is more suitable. Installation of software that helps to track employee productivity and take intermittent screenshots (if necessary) is recommendable as it encourages the employee to actively participate in the given task according to priorities.
Recognition and Trust
Face-to-face interactions and daily communication inculcate bonding and trust between the employers and colleagues as well. To promote cohesion between the employees, team-building or trust-building exercises, freedom to work, regular feedback, use of time-tracking software, emphasize on company culture, and conferences keep everyone accountable and confident with one another.
As a CHRO, it is necessary to detect the conflicts too, as it stays hidden in remote teams. A close watch in the tone of the mails, participation in the group threads, progress check, meeting to share ideas, and an eye on the progress after resolution helps to keep the team in harmony.
Wrapping up
Contingent workers, remote workers, full-time workers, and field force are all parts of a futuristic organization. Meeting the associated challenges may take time and practice. When done perfectly, the team may form huge assets and contribute a lot to company growth.