Flexible Working webinar
Unanswered Q&As
1. In the survey for why the return to work is there anything about the reduction of the desk size to cram all in and the noise level, increased distruption as a result impact?
Steve:
“Our return to work survey focussed on over 50’s and explored the things that kept them in work or would entice them back. Flexibility was the number one thing they all cited. When it comes to the office environment, last year we introduced sensory maps for each of our office locations. These maps highlight temperature, lighting, smells, noise levels and foot traffic to help employees choose which area of the office they want to work in according to their needs on that day. This could mean that someone feeling anxious would choose to work in a quieter area, or someone experiencing menopause symptoms could choose a cooler area.”
2. Are there tips for fully Remote workers to get promotions or a new position as there is this idea that you need to carry out your induction F2F?
Heejung:
“Even in fully remote organisations there are in person days (or weeks) in place for a number of different events including induction, socialising/team building, training, mentoring etc. I think it would be wise for organisations to carry this on as in person interaction and engagement is so important. In addition to this, I would say to the onus should not be in the individual to try to make things work when the organisation isn’t working effectively in managing remote workers. Having said that, I think it is important to have clear goals and KPIs set by you and your line manager (to meet the promotion criteria) to ensure that you know exactly what is expected of you and what you are meant to achieve – which is agreed with your manager. Then you have a much clearer case of what you have done (not where you have carried them out!) which can help with your promotion case.”Steve:
“For us, it’s crucial to make sure our fully remote workers feel included despite not being physically in the office. Being fully involved in the wider business has been really important for me in building my career. I’ve moved to multiple parts of the business so it has enabled me to understand the industry from the ground up. I’ve always looked for opportunities to build my network and connections, seek mentors and champions that have helped me on my journey. I’ve continuously retrained and been involved in projects outside of my area of expertise. There are so many positive things to focus on, where you carry out your day to day work should never be a factor in career progression.”Shape Talent:
“It’s crucial for companies to continuously monitor who is in the talent pipeline to ensure that all employees, regardless of their work location, have equal access to development and promotions. This is particularly important as entrenched social structures can perpetuate biases, and turnover can introduce new biases in incoming managers and leaders. Therefore, this monitoring should continue until flexible working becomes the norm, not just in Zurich, but in employment practices overall.”
3. Productivity / KPIs are not adapted to all environments, especially for knowledge workers. Any other ways of following progress?
Heejung:
“The problem at the moment is that many organisation in effect measure commitment and motivation, productivity by hours spent in the office/in front of the desk – if they do not have any other clear measures to go with. The psychology of proximity bias – which means managers think the workers they see more often as being more productive and gives more opportunities and promotions to – doesn’t help with this. I think with knowledge workers it may be difficult but a real necessary process all organisations need to go through to make sure to ensure good working practices that meets today’s labour force challenges and demands. For example, it could be things like – e.g. clients served, client satisfaction, time taken to finish off projects. There are tools such as agile project management which can potentially help. But most importantly it is about outputs not hours spent!”Steve:
“The ability for people to cocreate their goals, targets or KPIs with their manager is one of the best ways to make sure expectations are clear, and that people know whether they are off track, on track or ahead of what’s needed. Performance measures should always be adapted to circumstances, and there’s definitely no ‘one size fits all’ approach. Cocreation rather than imposition of targets is, though, a positive step.”
4. Is the bias for mothers different depending on their status in the company?
Heejung:
“So we need more evidence on this but some research has found that above and beyond their job status, motherhood was more important in managers giving access to flexible working arrangements. For fathers, job status mattered. With regards to bias, in my own study as well we found that motherhood is such an important bias that even homeworking doesn’t impact them as much – having said that, when homeworking was associated largely with mothers, homeworkers – including mothers but also other workers – were stigmatised more.”Steve:
“Our flexible working policy has been in place for over 15 years, it’s there to help people have the ‘life work’ balance they need. We don’t want to lose top talent because we’ve can’t flex around other commitments. This is the case across the business at all levels. We offer ‘life stage’ benefits, this means we want to support people throughout their lives, through the highs and the lows. This spans way beyond children to semi-retirement or caring for elderly parents for example. By no means is this based on status in the company.”
5. In insurance the most advertised benefit is Career Development and Progression and L&D but the most attractive benefits for jobseekers is Private health Insurance and Flexible Hours. Clearly jobskeers are prioritising their own health and wellbeing when job hunting. What do you think is the main disconnect here? Is it simply as you say leadership are too worried about it and don’t know how to implement it effectively?
Heejung:
“Actually in ALL jobs one the most important factor people look for are flexibility in work, and a good work life balance. Sometimes these trump even pay levels. I think good employers have actually woken up to this fact, and those who are searching for and understand that maintaining key talent is key to keeping productivity levels up do provide access to all types of flexible working arrangements. I think the problem is that many managers and C-suite officers are still quite behind in their ways of thinking – especially basing the notions of success and progress potentially based on their own career trajectories. They need to wake up to the fact that times have changed and everyone, including themselves can really benefit from a more flexible approach to work! When they understand that, this disconnect will disappear and we will see many more effective organisations that both meet productivity goals, and well as their social goals such as providing workers with good work life balance and increase well being!”Steve:
“My advice to HR leaders is always around piloting new initiatives so you can present tangible evidence as to how something like flexible working plays out in the business on a day to day basis. Trying to create a business case and cost analysis is not the way to tackle this, it’s about retention and seeking positive employee feedback, that’s where you’ll see the fruits of your labour.”