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A flexible concept of flexible working
A poll of Orange’s SMS Business Jury, a panel of small business owner/ managers who respond to questions via text message, found that there seems to be a bit of confusion about what flexible working actually means. Just over half of respondents thought it meant getting time off in lieu in return for working late; about 26% thought it meant working from home; one in ten thought it meant working remotely, and a mere 7% thought it meant working part-time.
In practice, of course, it can mean some or all of the above – an option that wasn’t actually on the survey. But nonetheless, the variation in answers does show that the concept is interpreted, well, flexibly by different owner/managers.
The issue, of course, is that if the people running companies don’t really understand the basic concept, they’re going to have a hard job instigating a flexible working policy that provides staff with a genuine benefit. And if they end up getting the policy wrong, it might even have the opposite effect – its limitations can actually alienate employees who feel that their own situation can’t be accommodated. Which rather defeats the purpose of the whole thing…
And it’s worth getting it right: 40% said flexible working would decrease stress in the workplace. Even if you think this sounds a bit woolly, there might also be some more tangible benefits: 23% said it increased staff loyalty and 19% thought it actually boosted a company’s productivity (not to mention reducing your carbon footprint - cited as the key benefit by an eco-swotty 3%).
On the other hand, there’s also a more deep-rooted problem with flexible working – many people remain unconvinced by its merits. More than half of these owner-managers still think people work best in the office, and nearly 40% said they hadn’t done any home-working in the last 12 months – not exactly a sign that they’re embracing the flexible ethos…
There’s clearly still a concern that out of sight means out of mind – ‘a lack of trust in staff’ was seen as the biggest challenge for businesses looking to implement such a policy. Particularly in the summer when the weather’s good, bosses appear to be worried that they’d be giving employees a free pass to top-up their tan in the park and stuff their faces with ice-cream...
Comments
Sarah Bradley - 15-May-08
Its not just bosses who have to be 'trained' in the art of flexible working ... I'm fortunate to have a good working relationship with my MD and I telework from home with the odd trip to the office (to remind people what I look like and to maintain 'bonds' with other staff). In the early days I also had to train my family, friends and neighbours that 'working from home' didn't mean they could pop by and chat for ages. My husband also found it difficult to grasp the concept as he kept asking if I could pop out to pick up his dry cleaning whilst I was at home, or other errands about the house. The key to successful working is to politely and firmly tell everyone that they must treat you as if you're away at the office. You need to train yourself too. The temptation of 'oh, I'll just put that load of washing on, pick up those toys, clean this...' is very strong. I just close the door to it all and promise myself that the breaks I should have every once in a while from my computer screen is the best time to do one task. Two birds, one stone. I get to stretch my legs, rest my eyes and the toys get picked up. It only takes a minute or two but by the time you sit down its probably done you the world of good. The next break involves the next task and so on. I have to set a timer to remind me to take breaks as you lose track of time. Working by yourself means you don't get the interruptions of people walking by and chatting to you on the way to the water cooler, so you have to make sure you take regular breaks to avoid fatigue and RSI. The other temptation is to carry on working when you should have finished. This must sound fab to most bosses, but I learned that its easy to blur where home life and work life should start/end unless you're really strict with yourself. Hearing your pc ding to say you've received an email at 9pm is tempting to go and see who its from, but the danger is that you then get caught up in answering it. Before you know it you've made your husband into an Internet-Widower :o). Teleworking benefits both employer and employee but it isn't as easy as you might first think and takes some getting used to by all concerned. When you've got it sussed its brilliant. Business benefits, people benefit and so does the environment. How many things can you say that about?
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