Nikki Slowey, co-founder and director of Flexibility
Works, sets out her views on the need for employers to think
creatively about the world of work going forward.
Employers may be tempted to cut costs by closing down offices
after seeing how well staff performed working from home during
lockdown. But we're urging businesses to think creatively about
where employees will work instead.
The reality is that most employees want a blended approach
working at home and in the office, and
the key to continued high performance is giving staff more control
over where, when and how they work, rather than creating permanent
home working for all.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, the default Monday to
Friday 9-5 office working pattern was becoming outdated. It was a
legacy from the past that we just couldn't quite shake off.
Now we've witnessed four months of mass home working, which has
proved people can work effectively from home. We're delighted at
how many employers have completely shifted their mindset.
It's clear from our own research the majority of employees would
welcome more home working. But while some want this permanently,
there are others who don't want to work from home at all. Some
people don't have adequate space or they feel lonely and more
anxious at home.
Even those who are happy to work from home still say they need
some face-to-face interaction, whether that's one-to-ones with
their manager, meetings with clients, creative brainstorms, career
development and training or for team morale.
Employers need to concentrate on giving staff more
choice in where they work, that's what flexible
working is all about and that's what drives up performance and
productivity.
Almost half (49%) of the UK workforce was entirely home-based at
the height of the pandemic, compared with pre-coronavirus figures
for Scotland showing around 30% could work from home at least some
of the time.
Our new poll shows almost three quarters (74%) of Scots want to
work flexibly, or more flexibly than they are currently, after the
pandemic has passed.
According to research by Direct Line Life Insurance, 44 per cent
of UK workers (more than 13 million people) plan to ask their
employer for changes to their long-term working pattern once the
pandemic has subsided.
There are well-documented business benefits from allowing staff
to work flexibly, such as increased engagement, motivation and
productivity. It means companies can recruit from a wider pool of
candidates and reduce their carbon footprint too.
For employees, home working means they save time and money
through not having to travel to work, they aren't limited to
applying for jobs within travelling distance, they can more easily
flex work around home life and spend more time doing what they
want, all of which is good for mental health and wellbeing.
Many progressive Scottish companies are already thinking about
how their offices might be used after the pandemic, and crucially
they are including feedback from employees as part of the
process.
Zurich Insurance employs around 240 people in
its St Vincent Place office in Glasgow. The majority take calls
from the public and are usually office-based but have been working
from home during the pandemic.
HR director Steve Collinson said a hybrid model, blending office
and home working, is likely to be the new 'normal' way to work,
even for employees in high frequency contact with customers.
He said: "Staff surveys show more than two thirds of our
employees would like at least three days working from home each
week, so our offices are likely to need much less desk space.
"Instead, we anticipate we might need more social space, places
for one-to-ones, career conversations and training.
"We're also aware that some staff really do prefer to work in
the office and we'll always accommodate that."
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