Making flexible working work for your business
Has your company introduced flexible hours for your employees? Or, is it something you’re toying with the idea of?
Let’s start by looking at a few stats…
More than a third of Brits in full-time work are currently looking for a more flexible job
- 79% believe that flexible hours would make them more productive
- 81% believe that flexible working would make a job more attractive
- The words “flexible working” are floating around the business world more than ever, and in just 3 stats, you can clearly see the popularity amongst the working population. The traditional “9 to 5” practice is no more, particularly in the eyes of millennials and Gen Z.
Has your company introduced flexible hours for your employees? Or, is it something you’re toying with the idea of?
Below are a few tips to help you make flexible working work for your business.
1. Define Flexible Working
First things first, you need to define what flexible working means for your business; flexible working has many different interpretations. Consider the following:
- Do employees need to be in the office on certain days/at certain times of the week?
- Do employees’ flexible hours need to be taken within the office?
- Can employees choose to work remotely with their flexible hours? Once you’ve defined what flexible working means for your company, the agreement must be made clear between you and your employees. Be clear on what you can and can’t support and why.
2. Trust Employees
The only way to make flexible working work is to have trust in your employees. You must be able to trust that they will manage their time, meet deadlines and be available for communication over the phone or via email. Keep on reading to see our final tip which is the perfect way to help you trust your staff.
Once you choose to introduce flexible hours, embrace it and have confidence in it.
3. Maintain Company Culture
Flexible working can result in less face-to-face communication between colleagues, particularly if you introduce the concept of remote working; with less face-to-face communication, employees can begin to feel disconnected.
It’s so important for employees to still feel a sense of unity with their team even with decreased F2F interaction. Maintain company culture through organising monthly training or strategy planning sessions. Alternatively, you could also schedule in some team building days or social events.
4. Staff Management: Get The Right Tools
A tool that allows you to manage when and where staff are working is extremely helpful when introducing flexible working… and that’s where we come in.
Sign In App is a modern, easy-to-use app for signing in visitors and staff. When entering the office, staff can sign in using the iPad and sign out when they’re leaving. Using the companion app and setting up a “remote site”, staff are also able to sign in and out from their mobile phone; the app will log their location and the time at sign in and sign out so you can see the location of your workforce. All details are stored in a secure online portal. As your staff sign in and out, Sign In App builds a central picture of their work hours and arrival times, giving your HR and senior management teams all the information they need at the click of a button.
Have a scroll through our website to find out more about Sign In App’s features and how it could help you make flexible working work for your business, or contact us to find out more.