How Has Flexible Working Changed Due To Covid?
The Workplace in A Covid World, Rethought.
Robin DeLucia - Founder of IMPower Coaching shines a light on your rights;
putting the transition into a reformed workplace in your hands.
Covid19 has accelerated many companies’ approaches to flexible working in order to sustain their business. Thus the Covid19 pandemic has shifted the adjustments we made during the lockdown, into a newfound norm for everyday work. Our new perspective of an ‘adaptable workplace’ has been unarguably some of the workforce’s largest changes in flexibility to date; seeing significantly increased employee satisfaction and reduced facility costs for employers* as a result of changes increasingly enforced in the midst of a pandemic. The rapid progression of changes in the workplace can sometimes raise eyebrows and questions for both employees and employers. Whilst, not every approach will be a blueprint match for every role, institution nor industry; there are ways we can research, prepare and adopt flexible work approaches to suit the needs and goals of both employers and employees.
What are some common arrangements I may not be aware of?
What options are available to me in my specific situation?
How do I go about formalising these arrangements?
How can you learn about and understand some common and easily transferrable arrangements to discuss with employers? IMPower Coaching has done all the hard work for you and listed the top 5 flexible working arrangements you may not have been aware of.
1. Working from Home
Commonly referred to as ‘WFH’, this approach was preferred by almost all employers during the lockdown. With easy access to “Zoom”, “Skype” or “Microsoft Teams”, many workplaces transitioned quickly and easily to a remote style of work. This can now be continued to suit your needs:
Working completely, or for a majority of a working week from home
Split weeks - working 3 or 2 days from home, and then the remaining from the work location, or even
Split days; working partially from home and from the office in a given day
For me this arrangement has been seamless, however, I am now hyper-aware of Zoom fatigue, so I insert 15-minute breaks between meetings. This arrangement allows employees to complete their work from the home! WFH became a highly favourable work solution/alternative during the peak of COVID-19 but we also need to find new ways of ensuring our own mental health and others’ mental health is monitored. One way I have done this is by making an effort to check in with more friends and clients. A phone call goes a long way.
2. Working Remotely
Similar to working from home but with a broader definition, this arrangement refers to changes for the need to travel to work. Situations like being stuck somewhere in lockdown, caring for a loved one in a different city, care for an infant child or personal injury/illness, could potentially require you carry out your full-time role (or even part-time) work from an alternative city, state or location in general. Working remotely differs from WFH, as it only requires an online connection with physical locations becoming less important. Working remotely can be a permanent or temporary commitment while working away from the office. Working remotely:
Can align with the needs and personal commitments of employees; whilst not having to completely sacrifice their source of income or a job they love as a result of a known, predicted or unforeseen personal circumstance that requires them to be in a specific location
Allows employees to adapt their remote workspace to their own needs & preferences
Creates more time to be utilised; that would usually be spent commuting to and from work; bonus time for that sleep in or extra walk you’ve always wanted to fit in!
I had a client who landed his dream job, and after attending an overseas wedding, found him and himself in lockdown in another country. Thankfully his employer allowed him to work remotely for 3 months while he frantically tried to land an expensive flight for himself, his wife and 2 children back to Australia. His commitment and dedication during this time led his employer to commend him and what I’m sure will be a long career at his chosen employer.
3. Working Alternate Hours
Flexible work arrangements can create awesome ways of distributing our work hours differently and beneficially; creating even more time for ourselves! (How could you say no to that). Employees can opt to work more on certain days to:
Make up for losses or shorter days previously planned with the employer, and for potential plans for finishing earlier in the future.
Working extra outside of your typical daily hours can result in an RDO’s! AKA as a Rostered Day Off. Some people work long hours in a given day, resulting in a 9-day fortnight instead of 10. Extra hours worked can accumulate and therefore allow the employee to claim an RDO’s in the future when needed and approved.
5. Working Alternate Hours 2.0
Much like what the name suggests, job share is where two employees cooperatively share the one role.
Job share:
Allows for the option of working part-time, in what would usually be a full-time role
Offers potential - more idea generation having two people in the role rather than one
Offers flexibility in the distribution of work, allowing for employees to allocate different tasks based on people’s strengths
Creates a better work-life/family balance for people wanting to work part-time
Swapping and covering shifts is easier when there is someone else who knows how to do the job and knows the position well
IMPower Coaching has broken-down the various approaches you should take when addressing flexible arrangements with your employer. It’s important to remember that while not every approach may work for your employment circumstance, a well-prepared and the researched response can always be adapted to the needs and goals of your workplace and employers’ preferences.
5. Working Fewer Days Or Less
During the lockdown, many parents were forced to stay home with their children in order to continue home-schooling. This created new challenges for balancing your children’s needs as well as getting your own work done. Thus, in Australia, you have the right to request part-time work to meet your caring for children needs. If you think it’s an option that is feasible for your role and for your employer, here is an Australian tool kit to help you facilitate this conversation with your employer:
file:///C:/Users/robin/Downloads/The-right-to-request-flexible-working-arrangements-best- practice-guide.pdf
IMPower Coaching has broken-down the various approaches you should take when addressing flexible arrangements with your employer. It’s important to remember that while not every approach may work for your employment circumstance, a well-prepared and researched response can always be adapted to the needs and goals of your workplace and employers’ preferences.
How do we have this conversation with the employer?
Research
what other employees at your own company and what other companies currently do this successfully.
Try recommending persons or companies who are similar to where you work. This may help your employer to understand how it would work by offering an alternative perspective on how tasks can be carried out with the same, or increased output. You could suggest specific arrangements that you know would align with the goals and values of your management.
Know your company’s HR policy
Explore existing HR policies that exist specifically within your company.
You will be able to find these online or via your HR officer. Knowing what policies are in place and understanding how they can have implications on your ideas will demonstrate your ability to prepare a relative and realistic proposition, but it will also ensure that your potential ideas align with the processes and policies of your employer.
Prepare yourself and your employer
Putting together an outline of your ideas and what you intend to propose in your discussion via an email or document a few days beforehand, is a great way to introduce your proposition. It will give your employer time to think about the idea and won’t be seen as an ambush approach. It’s a less ‘forceful’ way of bringing up a serious idea of yours and may encourage a more positive and optimistic response. A prepared document will also demonstrate to your employer that your idea is serious and that you have taken the time beforehand to prepare and research the topic.
Consider alternatives
Think of solutions you can offer to your employer. Employers may not be open to the idea of flexible working arrangements. You could suggest that:
The new flexible work arrangement can be done for 30/60/90 days and that they can revoke it if it does not meet their needs
You and your manager or team can insert 15 minutes “touch base” meetings every day or at an interview that you mutually agree upon
You step up your use of the company’s messenger software, making you more accessible so that you will always be online and use the tool to indicate if you are away or in a meeting.
Whatever your circumstances, the research is coming in which indicates flexible working is here to stay and employers that are embracing it early are seeing better returns in their business. Here’s a recent example of a recent survey taken during Covid and the impacts of flexible work:
https://www.hays.com.au/documents/276732/1102429/Barometer+Report+collated.pdf?subs key=a_chamadia@hotmail.com&utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AU_Barometer_Report_Triggered_Send&jobSource=SFMC
Robin DeLucia
Robin DeLucia is the Founder and Head Career Coach of IMPower Coaching. Robin has a passion for helping others and guides job seekers to land their dream roles. Having previously worked in various professional industries, her diverse experience leads to her expertise and confidence in helping people find jobs, especially during a pandemic.
* OECD 2020, “Productivity gains from teleworking in the post COVID-19 era: How can public policies make it happen?”