Yesterday, I participated in a virtual panel discussion hosted by TELUS on, “Evaluating Attitudes about Flexible Work.” The conversation was quite interesting, and I learned a lot from all of the participants.
Overview of the discussion:
The panellists agree that employee expectations about workplace flexibility have changed dramatically in recent years. Jennifer Perrier-Knox, Senior Research Analyst at Info-Tech Research says that when recruiting top talent, flexibility options are no longer seen as a special perk, just table stakes. As the new generation of “Millennials” enters the workforce, offering flexibility options will become even more important. The next generation has higher self-esteem and less need for social approval, and they expect to be able to work when, where and how they want to. On the darker side, the Millennial generation is more anxious and depressed than any generation before them, and we know that using flexibility options helps people to reduce the stress of balancing work with the rest of life. The new generation of women is also considerably more assertive than in the past and expects to take on leadership roles while having a full family life. Flexibility options will be essential to supporting these women’s careers, and many studies show that women who use flexibility options are more productive and loyal to their employers, so it’s really a win-win.
Leading companies in this area are already experiencing the advantages of offering flexibility. Jeff Lowe, VP, Enterprise for TELUS Customer Solutions says that his flexible work program has delivered a solid return on investment. With more than 5,000 team members engaged in mobile work every day, TELUS is enhancing employee engagement while lowering carbon emissions from tele-commuting employees.
Tim Lorman, Director of Strategic Space and Alternative Work at TIAA-CREF says that by thinking strategically about flexibility options rather than offering them on a piecemeal basis, the benefits to the company have risen dramatically in terms of both cost savings and retaining talent. Peter Day, President of Endo Networks, Inc. calls the technology investments that enable his mobile workforce one of his few “no-brainer” decisions, because the productivity increase seen in one day covers the entire monthly cost of using the technology.
If both employees and employers benefit, why, then, are companies hesitating to embrace workplace flexibility?
Jennifer Perrier-Knox explains that managers worry about things they can’t see, such as employees who are working at home. To overcome this trust issue, organizations have to set up objective performance metrics that measure what employees actually produce rather than judging effectiveness on the basis of face-time at the office.
Workplace flexibility is for all size businesses...
Small and mid-sized enterprises can benefit from a flexibility program just as much, if not more. Peter Day explains that small businesses have fewer resources and have to make the most of everything they have. Talk about saving on overhead, Day describes his 30-foot RV “mobile headquarters”, which saves the company tremendously on real estate expenses. Tim Lorman of TIAA-CREF says that even larger organizations are starting to “right-size” their HQs by asking who really needs to be there and how much space each individual actually requires.
Views from the panel:
- Jennifer Perrier-Knox believes that there will always be a place for a corporate HQ where key decision-makers can get together.
- Peter Day agrees, saying that while employees spend less time at HQ, the time they do spend there is absolutely critical to building the social connections that allow knowledge to flow across the organization.
- Tim Lorman predicts that the physical space in the office is likely to change as employees abandon cubicles and offices for more collaborative spaces that allow relationships to form and help the exchange of ideas to flow.
What do you think? Are you seeing a trend toward flexible work in your organization? What are the pros and cons?
About the Author: Alison M. Konrad, Professor of Organizational Behavior at Richard Ivey School of Business
Alison M. Konrad, Ph.D., joined the Richard Ivey School of Business, U. of Western Ontario in 2003 as a Professor of Organizational Behavior and holder of the Corus Entertainment Chair in Women in Management. Alison’s current work focuses on organizational diversity initiatives and making workplaces more inclusive. She has done consulting work with CBC Radio, CBC Television, the Stratford Festival, Pillar Non-Profit Network, the Toronto Regional Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), Colleges Integrating Immigrants to Employment (CIITE) and several other organizations. Alison has more than 15 years experience teaching of HR and business management teaching experience and was Co-Editor of the Sage Handbook of Workplace Diversity, published in 2006. Alison has published over 60 articles and chapters on topics relating to workplace diversity.
