Why Does a Flexible Workplace Matter? It benefits your business and employees

With remote and flexible workplaces on the rise, more and more employees are pointing to flexibility as an integral measure of satisfaction in the workplace. The global COVID-19 pandemic brought to the forefront a conversation about the future of work. Cultural and policy-driven shifts that were slow to move suddenly gained rapidity, with millions of workers around the world testing the reality of remote work by necessity.

A study by Seek in November 2021 discovered that 63% of job-seeking candidates believe work-life balance is extremely important, with over 56% of candidates desiring remote or flexible working options.

Flexibility is no longer the exception to the rule, with an October 2021 report from Morgan Stanley tracking that 69% of a sample group of 61 major U.S. public companies (with a combined market capitalisation equal to $15 trillion) are adopting a hybrid structure.

Implementing or developing a flexible workplace requires a robust understanding of the nature of your work, the dynamics of your team and the needs of both the business and your employees. By investigating the components that contribute to a successful flexible workplace policy, you can benefit from an enriched workplace culture, attractive incentives to current and future employees, and a management of workplace resources that protect your bottom line.

Quality of work

Uncertainty about the ability to maintain quality of work across a remote team has been one resistance employers have wrestled with in the past. While learning how to manage communication, collaboration and culture across a physical divide may be a process, many business owners and team leaders are finding that being intentional in their approach can not only protect the quality of employee work but increase it.

Top tips for managing teams remotely include:

• Building a strong awareness of the needs of your team culture and identifying how these can be nurtured remotely – i.e. creating clear boundaries between work time and personal time, using a tool such as Slack for easy access to communication, and proactively communicating core values to your company base.
• Equipping your staff with the right tools – such as teleconferencing tools, collaboration tools, data access, security tools or virtual workplaces.
• Identifying potential hiccups to smooth flexible work arrangements – how is your team equipped to deal with non-work distractions? How will technology problems be resolved? Is there a shared expectation for employees to remain living in the same city as your company headquarters?
• Setting and maintaining clear, fair expectations – consider how your employees are able to clearly access an understanding of the ideal state of remote work, and what that success looks like on a detailed level.

Benefits to employees

The range of benefits to employees that come with flexible work is varied and personal. However, many enjoy the increased work-life balance that arises from time and money saved on commuting, the ability to work while travelling, and the opportunity to live outside of expensive metro areas without sacrificing their employment.

Remote work is also opening up opportunities for employees who may previously have been excluded from roles due to accessibility. For employees with a disability, working parents or individuals with non-traditional schedule requirements, the increasing normalisation of flexible work arrangements offers more equality in role accessibility and career advancement opportunities.

Bringing teams together

Team unity can still be prioritised and nurtured within a remote workplace environment. Virtual Adventures by Red Leaf are designed to ignite individuals and align teams and provide them with a memorable, shared learning experience that is fun. Whether your team is located under one roof or scattered around the globe, a customised Virtual Adventure can contribute to a robust, outcome-oriented high performance culture.

Test your team’s understanding of how to set up for success and commit to a goal by going on a mountain climbing expedition in New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Take up the challenge of maintaining and strengthening your organisational culture in a flexible workplace. It begins with engaging both the mind and the heart!