A tale of two cities

How flexible is your workplace?

As a manager and a team leader, are you happy with the culture in your workplace?

The concept of flexibility has evolved to become a crucial element of employee satisfaction and productivity.  I believe that workplace flexibility has emerged as a vital strategy for both employees and employers.

At the heart of successful flexible work arrangements lies a positive support structure from the management.

Absolutely fabulous

I recently had two trips away.

The first was a trip to Florence in Italy.  I went to see my friend Scott who had come over from Detroit to celebrate his birthday.

I was very grateful to be able to join him on this leg of his ‘world tour’.  He is also a fan of the Hard Rock International brand, so naturally we visited their café.

I also went to the Duomo (cathedral) and saw Michelangelo's David statue.

The second trip was to Copenhagen in Denmark to celebrate my wife’s birthday.

We went to The Olive Kitchen for a lovely birthday dinner; and we did an open-top bus tour and an open-top boat ride.  We also visited The Little Mermaid sculpture at Langelinie Pier.

Both trips were absolutely fabulous, but they took a lot of planning.

Not as easy as it looks

Despite running my own business, having flexibility is not always easy.

Ultimately, as with any business, we have to make sure that the clients are happy and suitably looked after.

I can’t just ‘up and leave’ when I choose to.  This is why I am grateful to have a fabulous team around me, that affords me the opportunity to see friends or celebrate my wife’s birthday.

I trust my team, and our clients like them.  When planning to leave the business for any period of time, I have to make sure my team are happy, and in turn they will make sure our clients are happy.

For us, workplace flexibility works both ways.  My team knows that our culture encompasses arange of options, including remote work and flexible working hours (although, of course, it’s not limited to things like this).

The hangover

The pandemic accelerated the adoption of such practices, which were found to increase productivity and employee well-being.

Since the pandemic, many employers have continued to maintain these practices, appreciating that employees benefit from things like a reduced commuting time or a better work-life balance.

However, not all organisations have fully embraced the changes.  

When I work with my retained clients, we spend some time assessing the workplace culture and look to make improvements where necessary.

Benefits of workplace flexibility

Are your procedures fit for purpose?

There are a number of reasons why employers should be reviewing their workplace flexibility, particularly in terms of culture and procedures.

Numerous studies have shown that flexible work arrangements can lead to higher productivity (despite what some organisations believed pre-pandemic).

Personally, I know my team aren’t always productive throughout the traditional nine-to-five model, but flexibility allows them to create a schedule that suits them.

Flexibility also allows employees to better manage their personal and professional responsibilities, reducing stress and burnout. This, in turn, leads to happier, healthier employees who are more engaged and motivated.

For employers, offering flexible work options is a positive signal to potential employees, and often the difference in attracting top talent.  Moreover, the staff are more likely to stay, thus reducing costs (and headaches) around staff retention.

Why you need HR

When I work with my retained clients, we ensure that we create a workplace culture that is fit for purpose – for both the organisation and its employees.

The function of HR isn’t to just fire people or write contracts.  It goes much deeper than that.

As an independent HR consultancy, my team and I provide the right tools and resources to foster a positive workplace culture, thus creating a culture of trust; and we encourage open communication across all channels (as in, we don’t just have one-sided interests – it’s much more holistic than that).

In addition, we provide training and support to the management team so they, in turn, can support their teams.

Get in touch today

Workplace flexibility is no longer just a trend or a buzz phrase – it is a fundamental aspect of the modern work environment.  

If you would like to know more about creating a positive workplace culture to enhance productivity and employee well-being – to help you to attract and retain the top talent in an increasingly competitive market –then please get in touch today to see how we can support you.

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