| Workplace flexibility pertains to the strategies on how | | | | from their daily budgets. |
| to get the work done and how a business organizes | | | | Here are five success strategies that you can adopt. |
| workers and work flow. Flexibility is essential to the | | | | |
| effectiveness of any workplace and companies utilize | | | | 1. To implement organizational flexibility, it's important to |
| it to maintain or improve their employee engagement | | | | start by identifying the functions that will benefit or suit |
| and retention as well as to manage workloads. | | | | flexible work schedules. Devise policies and quality of |
| Research shows that flexible work options boost | | | | service metrics to gauge the effectiveness of working |
| productivity, enhance efficiency, and drive business | | | | arrangements and create guidelines on how to amend |
| results. | | | | work options so they can be improved. Before fully |
| Compressed work week | | | | implementing certain arrangements such as |
| There are many ways to implement flexibility in the | | | | telecommuting or job sharing, you might also want to |
| workplace. For instance, a company can provide | | | | test it on a pilot group first. |
| flexible work options, where employees are given the | | | | 2. Training is important for virtual workers and their |
| freedom to choose starting and quitting times so long | | | | managers. Implementing workplace flexibility will require |
| as they fulfill a pre-determined number of work hours | | | | a different approach as compared to having a normal |
| in a week and their work schedule is still within the | | | | work schedule for everyone and having all your |
| company's core-operating hours. Another variation this | | | | employees working from the same offices. |
| is the reduced work week set up. In this arrangement, | | | | Employees have to learn how to troubleshoot basic |
| employees can work their allotted hours per week in a | | | | networking issues or solve certain problems to make |
| span of four days (10 hours a day). In other companies, | | | | them more self-sufficient and ready to work on their |
| alternative work schedules can include adding an hour | | | | own. Supervisors, on the other hand, have to be |
| to the regular work hours rendered from Monday to | | | | trained in managing people working from different |
| Thursday so that workers can get off early on | | | | locations. |
| Fridays. Other flextime options may include working | | | | 3. One benefit of telecommuting is having happy, |
| part-time and job-sharing. | | | | productive employees who happen to work outside of |
| Job sharing | | | | the corporate offices. To help employees set up for |
| In this arrangement, two (or more) people "share" the | | | | telecommuting, it's important to equip the company with |
| same position and function, each of working part-time | | | | a system for creating a virtual workspace that is |
| during certain periods of the week or month. Many | | | | secured. Make sure that all tools needed in the virtual |
| employers now implement job sharing because it | | | | work area are properly maintained so the flow of |
| allows them to tap into wider ranges of | | | | production is not compromised even when there is no |
| complementary skills and experiences within the one | | | | one around in the office. |
| job function. Employers are also able to attract highly | | | | 4. One of the many success strategies for promoting |
| qualified staff who are unable to work full-time. | | | | flexibility in the workplace include asking your |
| Working from home | | | | employees what they think about the flexible work |
| Another way to implement workplace flexibility is by | | | | options. It's important to make sure that everyone is |
| devising telecommuting programs for employees | | | | informed about the work arrangements. You might |
| whose work can still be accomplished out of the | | | | want to factor in their opinions about the |
| normal office setting. To cut down the overhead costs, | | | | implementation of the program to ensure that they are |
| many businesses now allow their employees to work | | | | also amenable to the changes. |
| from home. Flex time telecommuting allows workers to | | | | 5. Take note of success stories. Evaluate the success |
| spend more time with their families because they get | | | | of the program regularly and highlight success stories |
| to bring their work home where they can easily | | | | on the workplace flexibility through your online |
| supervise their children at the same time. Another | | | | newsletter or office bulletin boards. This will encourage |
| benefit of telecommuting is that workers are able to | | | | more employees to warm up to the idea of alternative |
| cut down the costs of commuting to and from work | | | | working arrangements. |