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| Flexible work – and making it work for you |
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According to a study by recruitment specialist Hudson, work–life balance is now regarded as a leading factor in employment for Australian workers, becoming as important as salary, career progression and job title to job seekers.
For working parents, this probably comes as no surprise. The demands of school drop offs, childhood sickness and the desire to be a more present parent means flexible hours are both a necessity and a top priority.
But if your employer is yet to get on board, how do you start the conversation and introduce flexible hours to your own working world?
Why flexible working is important
Adopting a flexible working practice is critical for 21st century businesses – for future sustainability and to retain skilled workers. To this end, a number of large Australian corporations such as Lendlease, Telstra, ANZ Bank and Commonwealth Bank have now implemented 100 per cent flexible working practices.
With the need for dual-income households, flexible working practices are also essential if you are ever to have a fully functioning team. Families no longer have one member staying home to tend to children and household duties, these responsibilities now fall across both parents equally. Working hours, should therefore make accommodations for this.
Work–life balance is also important for the overall wellbeing of employees. Because of 24-hour connectivity, our working and personal lives are much more blended. Flexibility allows people to have a healthy harmony in this busy life – to get to that doctor's appointment, to be at school events, or care for a sick child. If people are happier, less stressed and feeling like they have control over their lives they will be more effective employees and this in turn creates a more loyal workforce.
And most importantly, flexible working allows diversity in the workforce. If half the population are restricted from playing a key role in the growth and development of a business simply because they have commitments at times that fall within traditional office hours, then that business and industry will never diversify.
According to EY advisory partner, Amy Puynton, the key to boosting Australia's productivity is increasing female workforce participation.
"At the heart of the issue is flexible work arrangements. Organisations need to introduce or expand their work options to better attract and retain women," she said.
How to introduce flexible working
Changes in technology make flexible working a completely viable option for working Australians today. So much so that in many businesses teams are spread across the globe working across a range of different time zones.
If you feel your position could be conducted flexibly and it is a practice you would like to request, here are few things you can do:
- Be honest. If you are open about what commitments you have and how you need to balance things, your employer will be more able to understand why you are putting in the request.
- Rather than make a straight up request, approach your employer with a suggestion of how you think the flexibility you need could work – for the team and the business – and show how it would not impact productivity.
- Make sure you always do your job well, be trustworthy and reliable, so you are already in a position of trust.
- Don't be afraid to ask. If you feel that the work can be done flexibly, you have every right to request a conversation with your employer about the possibility.
If you are a manager, there are several things you can do to build a more flexible environment for your team:
- Shift your management approach from managing workers to managing work. You are not responsible for when they work, but for the actual work they produce.
- Take responsibility and be proactive about flexibility. Rather than wait for someone to approach you, know your team and have regular conversations with your staff about work–life balance.
- If you have flexible workers on your team, be clear about expectations so there are no grey areas and no potential causes of conflict.
- If you are responsible for other managers who will be managing flexible workers, consider offering training to help those managers adjust their management techniques.
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