Make flexible working a reality for a high performing culture

Flexible working has loads of benefits. A common misconception is that it results in decreased productivity, this is what we call yanking (one’s) chain. According to our 2019 survey on flexible working a whopping 79% believe working flexibly would make them more productive. Encouraging flexible working will help your company lure top recruits, with 81% of people believing flexible working would make a job more attractive to them. Here’s how embracing flexible working can help your company boss it and develop a high performing culture.

A happy worker is a good worker

Everything is better when you’re happy. The grass looks greener, food tastes better, rubbish films become watchable and productivity increases. Flexible working is yin to productivity’s yang. They may appear to oppose one another yet they work in peaceful harmony (really digging the ying and yang philosophy). Offering flexible working allows staff to work when they feel most productive, performing at their best. Making staff work hours when they feel least productive just leads to boredom and the occasional social media binge.

Embrace technology

With tech today, the line between face-to-face and virtual meetings is vanishing. Conference call, webinar and video call tech are on the up and up. Back to our trusty survey. 75% of people agree that technology helps improve productivity, 62% believe that virtual meetings are better with video and 57% believe that seeing someone’s screen share makes a more productive meeting. So, there you have it, the office isn’t the only place people can do their best work. Meetings are freed from the chains of location (bit dramatic). People have other responsibilities, allowing them to take their kids to school and then attend a meeting from home isn’t doing any harm. A work-life balance is essential to mental wellbeing. You’ll create a culture that not only smashes work but a workforce that takes pride in working for your company.

Communication is key

You’ve heard it before no doubt, but communication is essential for flexible working to remain productive. As mentioned with tech today; you can use webinar software to broadcast an event to remote workers wherever you may be. Wherever may be an overstatement, you don’t want to hold a webinar in your bathroom or under a tunnel. Not very professional or practical. But you get the gist. Communicating outside the office has never been easier. You can use web meeting software to have catchups throughout the week, keeping lines of communication open and people working flexibly in the loop. Communication breakdowns will lead to avoidable mistakes. Utilise resources to keep communication high on your agenda and to maintain an efficient performing culture.

Trust makes the world go ‘round

Offering flexible working to your staff, lets you know you trust them. Trust is essential in a workplace, (stating the obvious, we know). To really make the most of flexible working then you must trust that your staff are completing their work and not just sitting round watching daytime television in their PJs. This means introducing clear deadlines and managing teams effectively and efficiently. Once trust is in place, it makes it a whole lot easier to implement flexible working taking a step closer to a high performing culture.

Hope this helps!

We really believe in the importance of flexible working. A healthy work life balance is so important and will result in increased productivity and a positive mindset. These simple pointers can help your team work smarter and benefit your business! So why not give them a try?