The document outlines the concept of workplace flexibility, emphasizing changes in when, where, and how people work to meet both individual and organizational needs. Various flexible work arrangements like telecommuting, job-sharing, and compressed work schedules are discussed, alongside the benefits such as increased job satisfaction, productivity, and work-life balance. It also highlights the importance of management training and addressing obstacles to effectively implement flexibility in the workplace.

1. Building
A Flexible
Workplace
01 May 2012

2. What is workplace flexibility?
• Workplace flexibility is about when, where and how people
work.
• Enables both individual and business needs to be met through
making changes to the time (when), location (where) and
manner (how) in which an employee works.
• Key components - organization, managers and employees

3. When people work
Flexible working hours:
Individualized start and quit times that remain constant each work day
Hours that vary daily but the total number of hours worked every week
remain constant
Part-time work:
Working fewer than the standard weekly hours e.g. 2 days/wk
Compressed work schedules:
35-40 hour work week condensed into fewer than five work days
•4/8.75 Four 8.75-hour days (35 hours)
•4/10 Four 10-hour days (40 hours)
Variable year employment
Changing work hours over the month or through the year

4. When people work
Source: Worldatwork
Survey on Workplace Flexibility 2011

5. Where people work
Teleworking: working away from the main office (i.e. at home) either full or part-
time, and on a regular or intermittent basis. For most people, it's working from
home either occasionally or for an agreed number of days each week
•
Source: Worldatwork
Survey on Workplace Flexibility 2011

6. How people work
• Job-sharing - two people sharing one full-time job on an ongoing
basis. For example, working two and a half days each, a two/three
day split or one week on and one week off
• Phased retirement - reducing a full-time work commitment over a
number of years (e.g. from 4 days to 3 days per week) before moving
into retirement. It can also mean becoming an "alumni", i.e. that a
"retired" employee returns to the workplace to cover peak work
periods or to provide specialist knowledge
• Annualised hours - working a set number of hours per year instead
of a number of hours per week.

7. Why is this
important?

8. #1: Job Satisfaction
BlessingWhite Global survey on what would improve job satisfaction?
• "more flexible job conditions"
• “ career development”
• “more opportunities to do what I do best”
Source: Worldatwork
Survey on Workplace Flexibility 2011

9. #1: Job Satisfaction
• 75 percent work more hours because of flexible work schedules
(work wherever & whenever they want)
• 79 percent reporting increased productivity and 78 percent
reporting increased efficiency
• 64 percent reported improved work/life balance
• 51 percent felt more relaxed because of flexible work

10. #2: Engagement & Motivation
• 79 percent reporting increased productivity and 78 percent
reporting increased efficiency
• 64 percent reported improved work/life balance
• 51 percent) felt more relaxed because of flexible work
Source: Worldatwork
Survey on Workplace Flexibility 2011

11. #3: Changing demographics
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates from 2008 to 2018 labor force
participation by workers age 55 and older is expected to increase by
43 percent
• Participation by those ages 16 to 24 is expected to decrease
• Strategies to attract & retain:
– Offering part-time positions
– hiring retirees as consultants and temporary workers
– offering flexible work arrangements

12. CONSIDERATIONS
FOR A
flexibility plan

13. #1: Unique culture
Control vs. Flexibility
• Do you want to allow your workers to control their work/life balance
• Would you rather prescribe certain modes of working and allow your workers to
have freedom within those bounds?
Self Service vs. Full Service
What is flexible about your work style?
• Self Service mobile officing environments make assets available for employees
with little oversight & admin support
• Full Service environments go to great lengths to insure employees have
everything they need – catering, supplies, little amenities, etc.
Who is applicable & why?
• Reward driven?
• Demographic driven?
• Roles driven?

14. Source: Worldatwork
Survey on Workplace Flexibility 2011

15. Examples: context based
Parents with Dependent Care Responsibilities
• Traditional flextime
• Last-minute flexibility
• Reduced work hours
• Leave for caregiving
• Fathers?
Low wage and hourly workers
• Reduced work hours
• Traditional flextime
• Shift flexibility
• Break arrangements
• Leave for caregiving
Workers with Disabilities
• Reduced work hours
• Traditional flextime
• Telecommuting/working from home options
• Break arrangements

16. #2: Mobility across departments
Mobility cuts across departments & vary: Study departments
and include all your work style analyses
Psychological Patterns vary: sales persons don’t want a office
as compared to consultants who do
Don’t assume that teleworkers can always work from home and
will never need to return to the office: Your mobile officing
program must accommodate them in their need to return to the
office in order to keep their satisfaction high.

17. #3: managers'
• Managers hold the key to effective, full-scale
implementation of flexibility
• Only 12 percent of organizations that are developing
flexibility initiatives provide their managers with training and
resources.
• Essential to enhance their knowledge, provide them with
tools and develop their skills

18. #3: managers'
Source: Worldatwork
Survey on Workplace Flexibility 2011

19. #3: managers'
• Enhance Knowledge: Communicate employee challenges &
use best cases to share success stories
• Tools and Training
– Performance management
– Communication
– Virtual meetings
– Team culture

20. Lessons Learnt

21. Flex Policy obstacles
The main obstacles to implementing flexible work arrangements:
 equal treatment for employees
 ensuring that the work is done
 the impracticality of such arrangements given the nature of jobs in
the organization’s industry
 the difficulty in supervising employees working off site
 possible co-worker resentment

22. • Question your assumptions: Do employees really need two
workplaces?
• Develop metrics to measure success
• One Size does not fit all
• Home based work attracts
• Incorporate different domains
• Executive champions needed
• Change is complicated
• Remain Flexible

23. The END
questions