{"id":31261,"date":"2020-07-15T16:11:07","date_gmt":"2020-07-15T06:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"\/au\/en\/blog\/5-ways-to-create-work-flexibility-in-your-organisation\/"},"modified":"2023-01-13T22:05:11","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T12:05:11","slug":"5-ways-to-create-work-flexibility-in-your-organisation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/au\/en\/blog\/5-ways-to-create-work-flexibility-in-your-organisation\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Create Work Flexibility in Your Organisation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In today\u2019s technology-based world, it\u2019s easier than ever to establish flexibility in the workplace and still ensure successful collaboration. COVID-19 forced organisations to adopt remote workflows even faster, since employees couldn\u2019t go into the office. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gartner.com\/en\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2020-04-03-gartner-cfo-surey-reveals-74-percent-of-organisations-to-shift-some-employees-to-remote-work-permanently2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gartner survey<\/a>\u00a0revealed that 74% of employers plan to shift some employees to work from home permanently even after the stay-at-home orders are lifted. Flexible workplaces are here to stay.<\/p>\n<p>Employee safety is the number one priority and cause for the rapid adoption of flexible work schedules across the globe. However, remote work has a host of other benefits for organisations too. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hbs.edu\/faculty\/Pages\/item.aspx?num=55312\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a Harvard study<\/a>, productivity increased by 4.4% when employees were allowed flexible work schedules.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Benefits of flexible work schedules<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>According to a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/buffer.com\/resources\/state-remote-work-2018\/#satisfied\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Buffer research study<\/a>, 94% of remote workers would encourage others to do the same. In addition to productivity, allowing employees to work remotely widens the talent pool to potential employees outside of an organisation\u2019s geographical area, reduces rent expenses and carbon footprint, and leads to greater employee satisfaction.<\/p>\n<p>However, implementing a flexible work schedule isn\u2019t easy. There are social and technical hurdles that many organisations face. For example, remote workers are\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0018726709349199\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">4.4 times more likely<\/a>\u00a0to experience burnout than their counterparts in the office. Additionally,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/buffer.com\/resources\/state-remote-work-2018\/#benefits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">21% of remote workers<\/a>\u00a0report that maintaining effective communication and collaborating online is a challenge.<\/p>\n<p>In order to avoid these remote work pitfalls, organisations need to cultivate a culture of flexibility. Here are five ways organisations can implement a successful flexible work strategy.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Train managers<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Success starts at the top. If your organisation wants to maximise the productivity of its remote workforce, you need to train your managers to adapt to the changes. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/5-qualities-of-an-excellent-remote-team-manager\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">good remote team manager<\/a>\u00a0should exhibit the following qualities:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"padding-bottom: 20px;\">\n<li><b>Trust in employees<\/b>: Managers must understand that while their employees may be more prone to distractions at home, they will complete their tasks. Loosening the reins will give employees more freedom.<\/li>\n<li><b>Good communication<\/b>: Managers must maintain frequent communication with their employees, and this isn\u2019t limited to just work-related conversations. Understanding what employees are doing outside of work will help you be a more compassionate leader.<\/li>\n<li><b>Positive demeanor<\/b>: Set a good example for your employees by creating a positive work environment. Focus on positive affirmation instead of negative reinforcement.<\/li>\n<li><b>Performance focused<\/b>: Remember that it\u2019s the results that count. If your employee is generating better results at home even though he is working faster, that\u2019s okay.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>2. Establish expectations<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>One of the reasons remote employees are prone to burnout is because they often overwork themselves to prove their value to their employers. After all, it\u2019s much harder for managers to recognise accomplishments when employees are distributed. The default way for employees to demonstrate their value is by working longer hours and taking on extra tasks.<\/p>\n<p>Combat overworking by setting expectations for employees to take frequent breaks, sign off for lunch, and stop working after certain hours. Let employees know that the quality of their work is more important than skipping lunch and answering emails at 11 p.m.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Encourage work-life balance<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In the same vein, it\u2019s important to make a clear distinction for employees between work life and personal life. Without clear boundaries, remote work often creeps into personal time. For example, remote employees might work nights or weekends to get ahead simply because they can, sprinkling in some work here and there at any opportunity. However, this is exactly the kind of mindset that causes burnout for remote workers.<\/p>\n<p>Encourage employees to take PTO, set a daily schedule, and define clear boundaries in their work and personal lives.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Adopt the right communication tools<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\" IID--960822518 CID--561962064\">When COVID-19 struck, most organisations panic-bought remote work technologies, including separate apps for messaging, video conferencing, and phone. The problem is, constantly toggling between multiple apps causes employee distraction and frustration. In fact,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/netstorage.ringcentral.com\/documents\/connected_workplace.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-dl-element=\"button\">69% of workers<\/a>\u00a0spend an hour a day simply switching between applications.<\/p>\n<p>To ensure maximum productivity from flexible work, your communications technology should bridge the gap between office and home. Unified communications solutions like the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/au\/en\/unified-communications\/desktop-app.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">RingCentral app<\/a>\u00a0combine team messaging, video conferencing, and cloud phone into a single platform, allowing employees to effortlessly switch from one mode of communication to another.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>5. Rethink the 8-hour work day<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Remote work opens up opportunities to rethink the traditional 8-hour work day. Employees who prefer flexible schedules usually don\u2019t thrive on that schedule, instead preferring to work when they personally feel most productive. As long as employees perform and drive results, it shouldn\u2019t matter when they clock their 8 hours a day.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, organisations that wish to adopt more flexible workflows should consider the value of meetings and how they cut into that window of productivity. Middle managers spend\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.themuse.com\/advice\/how-much-time-do-we-spend-in-meetings-hint-its-scary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">35% of their time<\/a>\u00a0in meetings. What\u2019s worse, executives consider 67% of meetings to be failures. Limiting the number of meetings your organisation has gives employees more time to work with less unnecessary disruptions.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Driving the future of work with flexibility<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Organisations adopting remote and flexible work are leading the charge in the future of work. When results show happier employees, better results, and more job satisfaction, it\u2019s no wonder more organisations are leaning toward flexibility.<\/p>\n<p>However, flexibility doesn\u2019t come without its challenges. Make sure your organisation is prepared to support employees with the right management, workflow, and tools to ensure you make the most out of your remote workforce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In today\u2019s technology-based world, it\u2019s easier than ever to establish flexibility in the workplace and still ensure successful collaboration. COVID-19 forced organisations to adopt remote workflows even faster, since employees couldn\u2019t go into the office. A Gartner survey\u00a0revealed that 74% of employers plan to shift some employees to work from home permanently even after the &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":31264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,484,485,200],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-best-practices","category-employee-productivity","category-future-of-work","category-ringcentral-tips"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>5 Ways to Create Work Flexibility in Your Organisation | RingCentral Australian Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"n today\u2019s technology-based world, it\u2019s easier than ever to establish flexibility in the workplace and still ensure successful collaboration. COVID\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/5-ways-to-create-work-flexibility-in-your-organization\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Ways to Create Work Flexibility in Your Organisation | RingCentral Australian Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"n today\u2019s technology-based world, it\u2019s easier than ever to establish flexibility in the workplace and still ensure successful collaboration. 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COVID","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/5-ways-to-create-work-flexibility-in-your-organization\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"5 Ways to Create Work Flexibility in Your Organisation | RingCentral Australian Blog","og_description":"n today\u2019s technology-based world, it\u2019s easier than ever to establish flexibility in the workplace and still ensure successful collaboration. 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