6 Tips to Make Flexible Work Arrangements a Success at the Workplace
Since the implementation of circuit breaker, businesses have been operating from home as a default arrangement. This practice has led employers to realise the importance of having Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) during a crisis. Such arrangements allow businesses to stay operational and afloat despite disruptions.
As the Covid-19 situation continues, most employers are keen to maintain FWAs such as Telecommuting and Staggered Time to observe Safe Management Measures as they enter a new norm. In fact, employers are now more open to implementing FWAs on a long-term basis as part of their strategy to future-proof their businesses and workforce.
However, are businesses implementing FWAs effectively and sustainably? Here are some tips to make FWAs a success:
Learn how to apply FWAs with the ULeap e-learning module
Designed for business owners, supervisors and human resource practitioners, the ULeap e-learning module on Implementing FWAs offers you the know-how for proper implementation of FWAs to cultivate a supportive work environment.
The comprehensive module features scenario-based quizzes to help you better understand and apply FWA concepts and provides solutions to common challenges.
Identify your business needs and obtain management support for the implementation of FWAs
For FWAs to be sustainable, they must meet the needs of both employees and the business.
Employee needs vary according to life stages, responsibilities and personal goals. As they will change over time, review your Work-Life strategy regularly to ensure its relevance.
On the other hand, business needs include organisational values, business objectives and operational standards which are dependent on the nature of the industry.
Obtaining management support is also essential for the sustainable implementation of FWAs. So review your business goals, essential business requirements and demonstrate how your team can meet them successfully with FWAs.
Choose the right FWAs for your business and employees
To ensure the successful implementation of FWAs, understand the different types of FWAs to choose the ones suitable for your business requirements and employees.
Determine your employees’ needs through the use of workforce profiling, employee surveys, and/or focus group discussions.
Understand your legal obligations when designing FWAs
As an employer, it is important to understand your legal obligations when designing FWAs.
These are some rules and regulations you should know and abide by:
- Working hours and overtime
- Part-time work (less than 35 hours a week)
- Workplace Safety and Health Act (WSHA)
- Workplace Injury Compensation Act (WICA)
Set clear and measurable KPIs for your employees to achieve
Let employees know exactly what is expected so that they can work towards meeting these goals.
Set tangible, measurable and time-sensitive targets to help employees keep on-task and enable supervisors to monitor progress.
This ensures seamless business continuity even as employees are given the autonomy to work flexibly.
Monitor and review your FWA strategy as your business evolves
After implementation of FWAs, regularly review their effectiveness and make refinements where necessary to meet business and employees’ needs.
Two key issues to consider are (1) how business objectives have been satisfied and (2) whether employee needs have been met.
You may use quantitative and qualitative measures to evaluate the FWAs.
Quantitative
- Key performance indicators and performance outcomes (e.g. adherence to timeline, quality of deliverables)
- Employee job satisfaction and engagement
- Utilisation rate of work-life programmes
- Staff retention rate
- Absenteeism
Qualitative
- Feedback from employees about the effectiveness of the FWA in helping them meet work and personal goals
- Feedback from supervisors on performance, productivity, and challenges in implementing FWAs
- Exit interviews
Sustain your business with Flexible Work Arrangements!
Learn more at tafep.sg
