How to build a flexible working culture

In today’s rapidly changing business world, the idea of a flexible work culture, or flex work, has become crucial for employer competitiveness. Recently, Flexa, a company empowering the flexible workplace, and WorkFlex hosted a webinar "Future-Proofing Your Workforce: How to Build a Flexible Culture to Stay Competitive" to explore this crucial topic, highlighting the benefits, challenges, and best practices for implementing flexibility in the workplace.

In this article, we share Flexa's and WorkFlex's insights on creating a flexible working policy—what flexible working is, the key components of a flexible working culture, the benefits, challenges, and solutions of implementing such a company culture, and the compliance and legal considerations employers should address when enabling flexible working practices.

What is flexible working

Flexible work, also known as flex working, is one where employees have the autonomy to choose how, when, and where they work. At its core, flexibility is built on trust—trusting employees to manage their responsibilities without constant oversight. This trust fosters a more engaged, productive, and satisfied workforce, making it a key element in modern business practices.

Key components of flexible working culture

Flexa’s approach to measuring workplace flexibility involves six key areas: location, hours, benefits, work-life balance, autonomy, and role modeling. With 85 million data points from a variety of organizations, from massive corporations to very small companies, Flexa provides a comprehensive overview of what flexibility means to employees and how companies can adapt to these expectations.

1. Location flexibility

The ability to work from various locations, including home, co-working spaces, or even different countries, is a significant aspect of flexibility. Work-from-anywhere policies allow employees to balance personal commitments with professional responsibilities seamlessly.

2. Time flexibility

Flexible hours and asynchronous work models enable employees to choose their working hours, enhancing their work-life balance. According to data from Flexa, retrieved from employers across Europe, there is a growing shift in focus from strict hours to output and results.

Interestingly, 51 percent of people have said that they don't mind whether they have flexible working hours or not. Flexa’s analysis shows a strong correlation between flexibility in location and autonomy and the preference for flexible hours. Thus, location flexibility plays an even stronger role in flexible working policy compared to time flexibility.

3. Variety of benefits

People are increasingly looking for ways to balance their work with their personal lives. Benefits that provide more choice over how we work and live become more and more popular. Traditional perks like free beers on Fridays or similar benefits now feel a bit old-fashioned. Enhanced benefits, such as parental leave, childcare support, and work-from-anywhere schemes, are crucial in supporting a flexible work culture. These benefits help employees manage their personal lives while staying productive and engaged at work.

4. Autonomy

Giving employees control over their work fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility. When employees can manage their tasks without being micromanaged, it leads to higher motivation and better performance.

5. Work-life balance

Supporting employees' well-being is essential. Providing opportunities for a balanced life helps in reducing burnout and increasing overall job satisfaction.

6. Role modeling by leadership

Senior leaders must embody the principles of flexibility. When leadership practices what they preach, it sets a standard for the entire organization and encourages employees to embrace flexible working arrangements.

Benefits of a flexible working culture

Implementing a flexible work culture offers numerous advantages that can significantly enhance a company's performance and employee satisfaction. By embracing flexibility, businesses can attract a diverse talent pool, improve retention, and boost overall productivity. Let's explore some of the key benefits in detail:

1. Improved hiring and retention

Flexible policies attract a diverse and wide-ranging talent pool. The benefits of a diverse workforce are clear: a more innovative, creative, and collaborative culture. However, without flexibility, achieving this diversity can be challenging.

For example, Flexa has observed that companies previously struggling to hire senior-level women or individuals from diverse backgrounds have seen significant improvements in diversity with flexible work policies. To illustrate, data shows that 86 percent of people want some form of flexible working, and this figure rises to 97 percent when looking specifically at women or people of color. Thus, implementing flexible working policies not only broadens the talent pool but also makes it more diverse. 

2. Increased employee satisfaction and productivity

Employees are more satisfied and motivated, leading to better performance and lower turnover rates. When company culture adopts a mindset like, "I don't care if that piece of content took you five hours or three hours to write. What matters is whether the work gets done, and if we're making progress," it significantly boosts motivation among the team.

3. Enhanced business performance

A focus on results rather than rigid schedules fosters innovation and resilience. With flexibility, trust, and autonomy, employees become more connected to the business and are more involved in its success.

Implementing a successful flexible working policy: Challenges and solutions

1. Managerial resistance

While the benefits of flexible work policies are clear, implementing them comes with challenges, particularly managerial resistance. Managers often fear a loss of control. To address this, it's essential to understand their concerns: What are they worried about? What do they think will happen if they approve flexible working requests for everyone?

These fears are often unfounded, as data shows that flexible working can be just as productive, if not more so, while also being more engaging and motivating for employees. It's important to identify which teams are most resistant and understand their specific challenges. For example, sales and customer success teams, which are very customer-facing, may find it harder to adapt to flexible working.

Additionally, managers often fear the complexity of managing different working patterns. Therefore, it’s advisable to implement a company-wide flexible working policy rather than individual arrangements, as this simplifies management and ensures consistency.

2. Consistency in flexible working arrangements

Implementing a blanket flexible working policy across the organization can simplify management and ensure fairness. This approach helps managers handle flexibility more easily, as everyone, including the managers, follows the same guidelines. While it's not feasible to grant every flexible working request, the goal should be to make as many people as happy as possible while still meeting business requirements. Addressing these concerns through training and demonstrating the business benefits of flexibility is crucial for successful implementation. 

3. Impact on early-career employees

Young professionals often need more guidance, and structured onboarding along with regular check-ins can help mitigate this issue. This is where manager training becomes crucial. It's possible for first-time employees or recent graduates to grow, learn, and adapt to work if they have the right manager and tools. However, without proper support, it can be challenging.

Additionally, transparency in the hiring process is essential, especially for fully remote positions. It’s important to ask candidates how they would feel about potentially never meeting their teammates in person, ensuring they are fully aware of what remote work entails.

Compliance and legal considerations of temporary work from abroad

One of the most demanded aspects of flexible working policies is the opportunity to work temporarily from abroad. However, this benefit is also one of the most complicated in terms of compliance. Fortunately, all compliance aspects can be effectively managed by defining specific terms in the work-from-abroad company policy and implementing appropriate risk mitigation measures. Answering several important questions to set up your company policy is a good starting point.‍

1. How many days per year can employees spend abroad?

This can range from 10 to 180 days per year – reviewing the policies of over a hundred employers, WorkFlex has seen a significant variation. For instance, while Adidas allows 10 days, some companies permit up to 180 days. A common threshold is around 30 days, which many employees find comfortable. With 30 days, employees can enjoy multiple extended holidays or work an entire month from another location.

Interestingly, companies with zero-day allowances don't necessarily prevent employees from working abroad; it often means employees take "hush trips" without informing their managers, exposing employers to significant compliance risks. This is not the ideal culture to promote, so being proactive with a proper policy is essential.

2. What is the geographical scope of your flex work abroad policy?

Companies generally adopt one of three policies: 1) Limiting work to the EU (including the UK and Switzerland), 2) Allowing global remote work, 3) Adopting an "EU Plus" model. The"EU Plus" model allows employees to work within the EU and their home country. For example, a developer from India working in the UK could also work from India. This approach ensures the benefit extends to employees with family in other countries, not just those who want to extend holidays in nearby European destinations.

3. What are the specific terms and conditions for flex work abroad?

Establish clear guidelines on what employees need to adhere to while working remotely to avoid any compliance headaches. For example, employees should consider the following: what to keep in mind when entering the destination country, what documentation to carry while abroad, what aspects to consider in terms of working hours, weekends, and holidays to comply with local labor laws, and what to consider regarding internet and data security.

WorkFlex assists its clients in developing best-practice work-from-abroad policy and employee guidelines to manage compliance. By providing expert guidance and reviewing the practices of other employers, WorkFlex helps companies find the best fit for their unique needs.

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Practical steps to start implementing a flexible work culture

By setting clear policies and addressing the above-mentioned compliance considerations, companies can foster a transparent and flexible work environment. Start with implementing some first steps:

1. Survey employees: Understand their needs and preferences through surveys and focus groups.

2. Set realistic policies: Define clear and achievable flexibility policies based on the gathered data. Consider any compliance risks and necessary mitigation measures that are related both to work from home, as well as temporary work from abroad.

3. Trial periods: Implement policies on a trial basis, review their impact, and make necessary adjustments.

4. Transparent communication: Clearly communicate policies and expectations to all employees.

Conclusion

A flexible work culture is not just a trend but a strategic approach to building a resilient, engaged, and productive workforce. By understanding the key components, measuring flexibility, and addressing challenges head-on, companies can create an environment where both the business and its employees thrive.

For more insights and support on developing flexible work policies, Flexa and WorkFlex can help. Visit Flexa's website to measure your current flexibility score and get support on implementing or improving your flexible working culture.

For managing remote work abroad 100% compliantly and with ease, as well as best-practice work-from-anywhere policy templates reach out to WorkFlex team.