Barriers to overcome
Organisations need to consider the barriers at manager, team and individual levels to help them successfully implement flexible working. The key barriers that need addressing are as follows:
Overcoming barriers for managers
People professionals should provide support and advice to managers, while encouraging them to offer flexible working options as much as is possible (in line with current government advice).
- Managers may be unclear about how to ‘measure’ work and output during this time, especially if remote or flexible working is new. It’s vital to have a trusting relationship for flexible working to be successful. Ensure managers understand that visibility is not the key to performance and that they explore new ways of communicating, delegating and working with their teams to meet targets and deadlines.
- Advise line managers to set clear expectations for their team. This could mean sharing examples of how they expect tasks to be done and being clear about deadlines and priorities.
- Good communication is vital. In addition to regular catch-ups, advise line managers to ask open questions such as ‘are you feeling fulfilled in the work you do?’ and ‘how can I support you better?’ to overcome any barriers or communication problems.
- Managers need to find a balance between allowing flexibility and facilitating collaboration; if team members have opposing hours you will need to find ways to overcome this.
Overcoming barriers for teams
People professionals should review ways of working to optimise team performance, relationships and flexible working opportunities. Pay close attention to:
- Team skills and flexibility Having a team of multi-skilled workers within the department means flexible working can be accommodated more easily, because employees can be flexible according to the business needs and skills required for the job. This is crucial at a time when workforces will be reduced, and business functions and priorities will be changing. Consider sending employees a questionnaire asking them to highlight other skills they can offer or asking people to volunteer for roles outside of their usual work remit.
- Lack of team relationships and networking Flexible working may contribute to a lack of colleague interaction and team connections, which was found to lead to flexible workers feeling isolated. This will be especially true while we adapt to widespread remote working and social distancing measures. Encourage teams to connect using online tools, having regular catch ups and making use of technology to keep others informed of their progress on projects and their current workload. Support a healthy level of communication and collaboration, but ensure that employees do not feel under pressure to be ‘always on’.
- Success stories Ensure that learning is captured and transferred from the implementation of flexible working elsewhere in the organisation. Take note of what has worked well and what has not worked well and why, so that managers learn from successes and mistakes.
- Additional workload Support managers with the perceived ‘additional’ load of managing flexible and remote workers: help managers think through how best to manage the team using technology and other ways to capture progress.
Overcoming barriers for individuals
- Help individuals understand what flexible working opportunities are appropriate and available at this time. Ensure that individuals who are required to attend a workplace also have flexible working opportunities (for example, the ability to avoid peak hours). You may want to refer to the flexible working poster for ideas on the type of arrangement that will suit the evolving situation.
- Communicate with individuals regularly about altering flexible working when necessary, creating boundaries (to ensure they aren’t working too many hours, are having appropriate breaks and have the resources they need).
- Share flexible working stories from across the business to inspire individuals to try new ways of working.
- Think about setting up groups on communication channels to share tips and ideas (for example, ideas for working parents who are trying to juggle childcare).
- Help individuals understand that they can say ‘no’ and maintain a schedule that suits them as well as the organisation.
- Try to allay any career progression concern by highlighting any training opportunities employees could take advantage of at this time. This may also help with reskilling employees.