Roughly 10.4 million Americans quit their jobs between April and November. The US Department of Labor estimates that 3.4% of workers, totaling about 4.4 million quit their jobs in September alone.
Some of the badly impacted industries by sudden voluntary resignations include hospitality, retail, manufacturing, and health services. Besides landing better job deals, most employees who quit their jobs cite work-related stress as the prevalent factor fueling their decisions.
Losing employees who are already familiar with your business policies, culture, and goals can be the worst nightmare, not to mention the costs of onboarding new talents. That said, you would want to leverage a flexible work model that motivates your current staff and fuels them to stay on the job. We prepared this quick guide to get you started. Follow through for in-depth insight.
What is a Flexible Work Model?
“Flexibility” can have different meanings, depending on business policies and operational framework. However, think of a flexible work model as an agile solution that breaks the nine to five, five days a week monotony. Unlike the traditional rigid work structure, a flexible work model gives your employees the freedom to fulfill their assigned roles whenever, how, and where they deem comfortable.
A flexible work model covers any type of work, including remote, part-time, contracting, freelancing, and compressed hours.
How to Implement a Flexible Work Model in Your Organization
A recent survey done in the UK job market indicates that the demand for flexible working is proliferating across the board. 96% of millennials only respond to job ads that seem flexible to them. What’s more, employees clocking 50’s want a flexible working environment with reduced hours to transition smoothly into retirement.
Business owners can implement a flexible work model in their organizations in the following steps:
1. Acquire and Integrate the Right Technology
Technological innovations and processes are what power a flexible work model. Start by acquiring the right software that supports a hybrid workflow, for both in-office and remote teams. The right technological solution will also facilitate communication for real-time collaboration to ensure your team works towards mutual goals and objectives.
Even better, you can go for customized solutions that automate attendance roll-call every time employees log in to the system. You can even track their locations via GPS, especially if it’s the company’s culture to know where employees are during working hours.
2. Inculcate Flexibility as Part of the Company Culture
Workplace flexibility should start with the company culture. It all boils down to trust and communication. Your team doesn’t need close supervision to determine whether they are fulfilling their roles as required by the company. Similarly, they shouldn’t put on a sudden “busy” face every time the manager walks into the office to create a perception of focus and hard work.
Instead, the team should be able to work independently and still deliver excellent results, whether in-office or remotely. Do away with tracking tools, unless you’re working on time-bound projects. Also, build a culture where employees can interact with their colleagues freely on official communication channels. Most importantly, let passion drive them and not strict rules.
3. Flexible Working Should Be Optional
Flexible working models should be optional. That’s why many businesses embrace a hybrid model, where some employees can work remotely while others do so in the office. Remember, a remote-centric culture doesn’t work for everyone. Some people get distracted easily when working from home, affecting their turnover. Sometimes, they don’t even have the resources to work from home, such as reliable internet connectivity.
For this group, let them work from the office. But you can introduce policies, such as Bring Your Own Device to make their experience as flexible as possible. On the flip side, small businesses may not have the luxury of having multiple employees working from the office. In that case, try something flexible, such as working with freelancers or offshore staff augmentation to meet seasonal demands.
4. Promote the New Culture
You’re venturing into a new work model, so are your employees. Communicate to them often, in meetings and through emails, reminding them of the flexible options they have. This will allow you to gather feedback and opinions for improving the work model in the future. That said, ensure you target the right teams and be explicit on details in your communication.
Promoting your new flexible culture doesn’t stop there. Let potential candidates for job positions know about this in the ads. On top of that, be open about the culture with your customers and clients.
5. Put the Policy Down on Paper
It will help if you include the flexible work model in a written policy before implementing it. This spells out the expectations the company has and how you’ll implement the model. Typically, your written policy should contain:
- An overview of the flexible working model
- Eligibility to join the model
- Company goals, vision, and needs
- Dry-run for new working schedules
- How to raise complaints regarding the model
The Benefits of Implementing a Flexible Work Model in Your Organization
Some business owners are still reluctant to embrace change, whether it’s out of general fear or perceived complexity. Fortunately, small businesses are adapting naturally and understand how embracing change can help them build an agile and bespoke workforce.
Some of the benefits of introducing a flexible work model in your organization include:
- Competitive edge over other brands
- Access to a wider pool of talent
- Enhanced creativity and productivity
- Better employee retention
- Explore a 24/7 economy, beyond the 9 to 5 traditional model
Get Professional Help When Introducing a Flexible Work Model in Your Company
Implementing a flexible work model to fuel your team can be pretty daunting, especially if you have other high-value tasks, such as enhancing customer experience pending in your basket. Platinum Group is a go-to human capital management resource with agile solutions to help you streamline internal business operations. Whether it’s payroll, HR, or accounting, we can offer you premium support, service, camaraderie, and collaboration to complement your business needs and goals. Visit our website today to schedule a free demo.
