Four ways to supercharge

Flexible work environments are in great demanded. Actually the report from Apollo Technical found that 72 percent of people prefer flexible work environments over the traditional office environment.

And organizations are seeing measurable positive effects. Improved productivity of 47% and higher performance of employees ( 40% lower risk of a defect in the quality of work) and increased profits (with the average of of $11K saved per halftime remote worker), make flexible work seem more like a necessity than an employee perk.

If you're looking to design flexible work options or improve how you can get your team to work remotely, you're in appropriate place.

We'll discuss some of the most important aspects of flexible working, the shifting expectations of employees, as well as some suggestions on how to ensure your business is ready for the future using video-powered tools.

What is flexible work?

A flexible work arrangement allows workers to pick the location and time they work. Research from SHRM suggests that increased flexibility for employees offers a variety of advantages such as higher engagement and retention as well as lower overhead and more time for family and work.
Two types of work flexibility:

Flexibility in location

Location flexibility allows employees to work outside of an office, or a specific workplace. The most common forms of location flexibility include remote work, telecommuting, hybrid work and more. The 2021 SHRM study reported that 30% of employed Americans prefer the ability to do something remotely, and if their current employer doesn't have that choice, they'll look to find a job that has it.

Flexibility in scheduling

Schedule flexibility centers around employees' capacity to plan their schedules outside of the standard five days per week 9-5 work schedule. The most common types of flexibility in schedules include:

• Workweeks compressed
• Shift work
• Flextime
• Job sharing
• Part-time schedules

The way we work is shifting

According to the US Labor Department reported that more than 47 million Americans quit their jobs by 2021, a record-breaking massive worker exodus.

From dental clinics to gas stations, shortages of workers are prompting employers to rethink the way we think about the traditional job. 64 percent of the workers who took part who participated in the recent Pew survey felt uneasy coming back to their workplaces and 57% chose to work at in their home because of COVID-related issues. The Harvard Business Review reported that 36 percent of the workers who were polled would seek an alternative if not given the option of a remote or hybrid, and 6% were willing to quit outright in the absence of a job scheduled.

Uncertainty in the economic climate, a changing labor markets and competitive expectations from employees is forcing employers to rethink how and where people can work.

Recent research shows that flexibility at working hours boost employee recruitment, retention, satisfaction, and productivity. Gartner found 43 percentage of those who took part in their Digital Worker Experience Survey said flexible working hours made them more productive. Thirty percent said that the time they saved by not having to commute boosted their productivity.

4 ways to create an environment that is flexible

With the changing workplace, onboarding, training, facilitation, and the leadership team will require training, virtual communication and engagement tools to support their organization.

Below are some tips to create a successful flexible work environment to your employees. They will also prepare your team to be successful.

1. Engage employees

Because your employees aren't gathering more frequently than in a traditional 9-5 workplace, you have to find other ways to increase employees' engagement. 70% of staff report that they're more efficient in their work in a workplace where they feel valued. The majority of employees in top companies in their industry feel heard however only 62% of employees at financially underperforming companies feel heard.

Everything you need to know about town halls

Learn how to live stream your next town hall.

Town halls that are boring can be bad, but glitchy live streams can be even more frustrating. The investment in quality video will yield exponential results in team alignment and productivity, engagement of employees as well as connection, which can help establish a cohesion and flexible workplace.

"We will not go back to the way it was. Video isn't a COVID-19 solution It's a more modern approach for the new work environment."  
 Peter Strella, Director, Communications & Creative Media Services at Rite Aid

2. Develop a virtual Onboarding and training processes

When work shifts from office work, the training and education is also changing with it. In spite of remote work or maybe because of it - onboarding and learning are becoming more important. Nearly 97% of employees are now onboarded through virtual training sessions. it's up to the organization to design efficient and efficient programmes.

"Technicians do not always wish to go to our training centres, and it's not a "one-size fits all" approach for our diverse class of learners...What we started to do was use the same excellent class material and put it online."   Steve Hamaday, Virtual Training Manager at Axalta

A must-read guide for online classes

Get your remote team in record time using this thorough guide.

3. Internal and external communication

"With  our platform, we created a bi-weekly live show for global customers, during an epidemic, and it took just weeks, not months. We managed the whole process on the platform, collaborating remotely with our team as well as our agency. We went on air several times throughout the week in a variety of different languages."   Alvin Mudun, Senior Web Product Manager for Zendesk in EMEA

4. Consider investing in tools that facilitate remote collaboration

In the event that your team members have to travel across different locations and time zones, the equipment you employ can make or break team productivity and motivation.

Offering more options for using video could have an measurable influence on the team.  The State of Workplace Communication report revealed that employees who are video-oriented benefit from a 75% greater percent of employees who report excellent engagement and are better at working together as a team. Collaboration refers to communication between teammates, and video makes communication better and more inclusive.

• Better employee engagement
• Increased productivity
• Accessible content anywhere, anytime
• Increased transparency
• Training libraries that can be used for any purpose and resource

  Originally written by Clara Wang and updated by Bianca Galvez on July 26, 2022.