Productivity

How to accommodate a flexible workforce

September 3, 2019

2549

Offering and supporting flexible work for your employees doesn’t mean signing everyone up for in-office yoga classes.

It’s about allowing them to choose how they want to work and providing them with the collaboration tools that make it possible.

Business tools that talk to each other (referred to as unified communications) are tools you likely already use. They’re things like:

Instant messaging
Email
SMS¹

Tools like these are key to facilitating flexible work and improving efficiencies in your business so you can be more profitable—and they’re also becoming more popular.

With all of these technologies working together, your employees can work when and where is best for them. But what’s in it for you?

Why support flexible work?

Build a more diverse workforce—employees with different lifestyles, family responsibilities, etc. prefer flexible work. Diverse workforces have a broader mix of skills, knowledge and experience, which allows for greater creativity and flexibility in their work.²
Promotes your business as a family-friendly/progressive place to work.³
Improves morale.⁴
Promotes loyalty—82% of employees are more loyal to employers with flexible work options.⁵
Increases engagement and reduces turnover—60% of employees who have flexible work options feel they’re more productive and engaged.⁶
Reduces energy consumption and carbon footprint through telecommuting and the elimination of a need for a physical workspace.⁷

How to support flexible work:

Develop guidelines that are fair to everyone.⁸
Use the cloud to provide access to communication tools that encourage collaboration.
Leverage unified communications to keep employees informed and accountable—start with Cogeco’s HPBX services.⁹
Have regular check-ins with employees to keep them on track and feeling connected to the team.¹⁰
Set the example—make flexible work part of the norm by doing it yourself. This helps your employees feel good about taking advantage of this new work style.¹¹

More than just a fad, flexible work has the ability to make your employees feel better, work smarter, and drive better business results. And luckily, there are excellent connected communications available to make flexible work, work for you.

Sources:

(Author unknown) (Date unknown) What is Unified Communications (IC)? [Online article] Retrieved from https://www.digium.com/solutions/unified-communications/what-is-unified-communications

² (Author unknown) (Date unknown) 5 ‘hidden’ employer benefits of flexible working. [Online article] Retrieved from https://www.tpp.co.uk/employers/recruitment-advice/general-recruitment/five-hidden-employer-benefits-of-flexible-working

^3,4 (Author unknown) (Date unknown) The Advantages and Disadvantages of Flexible Work Schedules [Online article] Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-flexible-work-schedules-1917964

⁵ (The, E.) (2017 Dec 14) 25 Fascinating Statistics About Employee Engagement [Online article] Retrieved from https://risepeople.com/blog/employee-engagement-statistics/

⁶ (Author unknown) (2018, Mar 23) 60% of U.S. workers feel more productive when they have workplace flexibility. [Online article] Retrieved from https://www.benefitscanada.com/news/60-of-u-s-workers-feel-more-productive-engaged-when-working-flexibly-survey-112321

⁷ (Sutton, S.) (2015, Apr 22) How Telecommuting Reduced Carbon Footprints at Dell, Aetna and Xerox. [Online article] Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245296

^{8, 9, 10,11} (McLaren, S.) (2018, Jun 18) Here’s What Actually Happens When Employees Have Flexible and Remote Work Options. [Online article] Retrieved from https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/company-culture/2018/remote-and-flexible-work-options

Offering and supporting flexible work for your employees doesn’t mean signing everyone up for in-office yoga classes.

With all of these technologies working together, your employees can work when and where is best for them. But what’s in it for you?

Why support flexible work?

How to support flexible work:

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