Photo Credit: Kathy Ponce on Flickr
The business world is changing and it is vital for companies to develop strategies to cope with employees' shifting needs. As people try to balance the demands of work and home, there is a growing need for firms to offer more varied working patterns. From employees tackling a long commute, to mothers returning to work after maternity leave, adopting a more flexible approach can be beneficial to both you and your staff.
What are the benefits?
Offering your staff flexible working patterns better enables them to balance their work and home life. Being employed part-time or in a job share can greatly assist parents who want to work but also care for younger children. The rise of the internet means in many cases it is not necessary for staff to work in a traditional office as many of their tasks can be carried out online, letting them fit in tasks according to their own agenda. Not only does this empower staff, allowing them to make decisions about their schedule, but it also enhances creativity and boosts productivity.
A more flexible approach can also greatly benefit your company. Remote working allows you to cut overheads such as rental of large office premises. Adopting a pattern of shift work lets your company continue to be productive outside of traditional hours, enabling you to offer round-the-clock service. Not only is this helpful for your customers, but it can give your firm an edge in a competitive global market where business takes place across several time zones.
How to implement flexible working
The concept of flexible working covers a broad range of constituents, from job-shares and shift work to remote off-site working. Your business sector will determine which are the most suitable elements for you to consider. For example, factories or warehouses are ideally suited to shift work and can offer employment opportunities outside of standard office hours. Many companies offer 24/7 customer support telephone services, again allowing staff the flexibility to work hours that suit them. However, this would not work for office-based jobs that rely on face-to-face contact with the public, so flexible working here might be based around job-sharing.
Remote work is another popular option, where staff work off-site, usually at home. Providing they have access to the internet, staff can carry out their work as usual through the use of SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solutions.
Managing staff
Flexible working demands a more flexible HR strategy. ESS, or Employee Self Service, is growing in popularity as it allows staff to manage most of their basic HR demands themselves. Holiday requests, expenses claims, absence reporting, staff training and even the completion of timesheets can all be carried out over the internet. Firms using models such as the Employee Self Service from CIPHR can not only save money and speed up communication between departments, but also reduce their paper trail by using ESS systems for training manuals and payslips.
Offering the opportunity of flexible working to your staff can reduce overheads and improve performance. Incorporating SaaS systems into this model to support employee self-service allows staff to take more responsibility for themselves, managing their time better and increasing their productivity.
