The recent COVID pandemic showed the world the significance of frontline workers in our lives. The frontline workers worked day and night to serve people and ensure they were safe and healthy. They risked their lives to fulfil their responsibilities, but unfortunately, they face many problems caused by a lack of flexibility at their workplaces.
Flexibility, which was once seen as a perk, is now a requirement for everyone, both frontline workers and corporate employees. Due to the persistent labour scarcity, employees have the power to demand a stronger work-life balance due to the pandemic. Companies must pay attention if they don't want to keep falling behind in the race for talent. Frontline employers, therefore, need to rethink their attitude to flexibility. Flexibility has historically been viewed as practically impossible in sectors where employees must physically report to work. However, job flexibility goes beyond merely hours and location.
Organizations can empower their employees by allowing them to adapt their preferred schedules based on their needs, such as a caretaker or other home commitments change, scheduling around classes or other employment, switching shifts, or adding additional hours. The productivity and retention of hourly workers can be increased by flexible scheduling, also known as worker-first scheduling, according to businesses.
Additionally, this kind of scheduling exemplifies "creative flexibility," a more comprehensive approach to flexibility. If businesses want to put the excess frontline workers' resignations behind them, they must head on this path.
What makes a company flexible?
Flexibility encompasses both the abilities and job duties of the personnel as well as the hiring and contracting procedures used by the business. The workers who make up a flexible workforce can execute a wide range of jobs and can be sent where and when they are most needed.
To assist the efforts of full-time employees during busier times or for specific campaigns, businesses that value flexibility may engage temporary, part-time, and contract workers. A flexible workforce guarantees cost-effectiveness and more adaptable job prospects, meeting the needs of both companies and employees.
How can companies boost employee experience by offering more flexibility at the workplace?
The growing popularity of flexible work has created new challenges, but it has also created opportunities because it widens the scope of accessibility. By "flexible working," we don't only mean working remotely as opposed to in an office; we also suggest the latest trends regarding how and when we pay people and evaluate their productivity. Following are some of the ways companies can boost employee experience by offering more flexibility at the workplace.
1. Taking employee suggestions and feedback
Are your staff members content with the degree of flexibility they now enjoy at work? How can engagement be increased? When it comes to workplace flexibility, it may seem apparent, but it's crucial to ask rather than to say. Businesses with structured feedback programmes experience more engagement, which results in a stream of information that is more trustworthy.
Your listening strategies must be integrated into your larger people strategy and customized for your workforce. You might need to develop distinct employee listening strategies for each if you have a sizable workforce that is dispersed across locations or responsibilities. For frontline personnel, a mobile-first strategy may be more suited; however, if your staff is centralized, you could be able to run feedback sessions.
2. Creating tailored solutions
Spend some time getting to know the many personas in your company and analyzing their comments on what is most important to them. Having the option to enter an office may be crucial for productivity for people attempting to work in a busy home sharing or with young children. Mandatory attendance in the office is a significant motivator for those who may have left the city.
Traditionally, it has been thought of as a privilege enjoyed by office-based professionals to be able to drop their kids off at school, start working at 10 or take a two-hour lunch. Organizations are, however, increasingly considering how to extend this flexibility to frontline staff formally.
Employers in the retail, care, construction, nursing, and education sectors may see areturn on investment (ROI) for workplace flexibility in as little as three years, according to a recent trial. The decrease in sick days and staff turnover, together with glaring improvements to general employee wellness in various industries, have been used to determine the financial return.
3. Offering a variety of solutions
It will be easier for individuals and teams to put together the organization's employees that are right for them if there are a range of ways for your employees to interact with your company. Even though more than 80% of businesses currently employ hybrid working practices, the specifics are still being worked out and stress tested.
Flexible scheduling is inextricably tied to welfare, and related policies are frequently found. For instance, HubSpot has introduced several measures to assist staff members who are experiencing burnout, such as a week of rest and no business meetings on Fridays.
It's crucial to consider how your flexible working policy might open the door for a more diverse staff. The pandemic demonstrated that many roles once thought to require office or site-based work may now be performed online just as well, if not better. This provides chances not only for those who are disabled but also for those whose childcare or other obligations prevent them from commuting long distances.
Companies can also offer a company-wide social network where employees can come together and share their ideas and opinions. It can also be a great platform to recognize and celebrate achievements and engage employees at a greater level.
4. Aligning your promises with the delivery
It will take time to gather the input necessary to make the best decisions for your organization and to implement a flexible working culture. Even seemingly favourable policies might have unanticipated consequences, as is the case with limitless vacation packages, which frequently lead to significant decreases in vacation time.
Furthermore, avoiding overpromising and underdelivering your employee value offer is critical. A measured approach is best because if what you provide for your employees falls short of expectations, it might lead to disappointment.
To sum it up
The majority of workers desire a more flexible workplace and more control over their workday. Ignore this critical transition in the workplace, and you run the danger of having serious retention and recruitment issues. Despite being a significant and very desirable component of flexibility, don't make the mistake of assuming that it exclusively refers to remote or hybrid work.
If hybrid or remote work is not an option for your company, there are still plenty of other methods to embrace flexibility and autonomy while enhancing the working environment for staff members. As a result, you may improve morale and engagement and make it simpler to persuade workers to stick with your business.
How can Teamnest help you?
Improving employee engagement through a company-wide social platform and assessing HR functions to offer more flexibility for employees can benefit your company in multiple ways.
Teamnest's Employee Engagement platform and HR analytics can help your company improve HR functions, reduce costs, hire and retain better employees, and offer your staff a more flexible and productive work environment to ensure business success. Talk with Teamnest's Employee Engagement Expert @ +91 913-786-6322 or email at sales@teamnest.com.
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