COVID-19 Flexibility moving forward

COVID19 image

At HR Business Direction we have been talking about Flexibility in the workplace, and you could say advocates for it, for a long time now as you can see from past blogs; Flexibility in the workplace, How much control & choices do you give employees?, Managing Employees – virtual or Bricks & Mortar? and more.   So, when COVID-19 hit Australia and a lot of employers very quickly moved to virtual operations for employees to work from home we were surprised and proud but did wonder what would happen to flexibility when the need to be COVID safe relaxes?

And this question, to a degree was answered, when we heard in the media that Facebook are planning to have half their workforce work from home permanently in the future.  This is shared by others, such as; Twitter and Google.   They have found that productivity has risen, and it could be a win-win for both parties.

Now, I don’t believe that the majority of businesses will automatically follow suit and allow the majority of their employees to work from home all the time, but I do think and hope that flexibility in the future will be given more serious consideration in the future.   It does provide benefits for both parties; cost savings, reduced absence, work-life balance, access to a wider pool of applicants, autonomy, better use of technology as examples and these lead to; engagement, retention, productivity, loyalty, again just to name a few.

Due to COVID-19, at a time when employers needed, there was a move to working from home model for business continuity, so they know it can work.  Sure, there might be some issues that need to be resolved or improved but it is certainly worth being more flexible at least at times when employees need it.  From the benefits gained, why wouldn’t you put flexibility on the agenda?

The values and culture of the organisation are also considerations in being more flexible with flexibility, however, again I think it’s been proven it can be done.  With strong values, regular communication, collaboration and effort the values and culture can continue to be strong.

Remember, also, safety doesn’t go away and there is a need to ensure this and manage this for employees working from home – particularly as the different arrangements and working environments for an employer may be as diverse as the number of employees they have working remotely.  Let’s also not forget that the Fair Work Act 2009 provides certain eligible employees a legal right to request flexible working arrangements.

Again, as we have been saying, now is the time to consult and communicate with your team.

During this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are sending out relevant information weekly to do our bit to assist.  If you are not already receiving them, please sign up via our contact page on our website.

If you require advice on flexibility in the workplace, please let us know.    We are here to help.  We remain available via email or phone – leisa.messer@hrbd.com.au or 0401 271 616 | 07 3890 2066.

 

We hope you are OK.  Take care.

The Team at HR Business Direction