Kevin Empey explores the three phases of flexible work adoption, from foundational steps to future-focused strategies
As we enter a new year, there is still a noticeable gap between desired employer policy and employee practice and expectations as to how flexible work arrangements should operate.
This gap narrowed in 2023, with both employers and employees taking steps to make flexible working fit-for-purpose more standard practice, but the evolution of more flexible work models is far from over.
The employment market in 2024 looks set to be split between two types of employers.
First, there will be the employers who continue to be open about how and where work is done with an eye to emerging influences such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the four-day work week.
Second, there will be those who revert to more ‘fixed’, pre-COVID work models and mindsets with minor concessions to demands for some form of hybrid working offering.
While other business and employment priorities take over the agenda in 2024, it doesn’t mean flexible work design is done and there is further change ahead.
In our experience, there are three distinct phases in the transition to flexible work models and how organisations are adapting to new and emerging realities.
Phase 1: Base camp
Some organisations (not many) are still in the early stages of settling on their flexible working vision.
They are continuing to lay the groundwork for establishing new work models that cater to evolving work patterns and demands as well as organisational priorities.
This phase involves embracing the basics, getting the framework up and running and also considering their flexible working strategy for frontline roles and work that cannot be done remotely.
Phase 2: Integration
Most businesses find themselves in this second phase. They have spent 12 to 24 months adapting to their declared approaches (the ‘what’) and are now in a position to refine and integrate their flexible models (the ‘how’) with the demands of their business.
This involves addressing specific challenges encountered in recent months, bridging gaps between employer policies and employee preferences, and adapting legacy processes and definitions of productivity.
The opportunity presented by this phase is to ensure that work redesign will be an ongoing expectation and reality and is just not about getting hybrid right.
The risk of this phase is that employers allow poor habits and practices to set in and that the expectation and need for ongoing reform and improvement is not made clear.
Employees are also considering whether their employer’s flexible working models align with what they want. Continued flexibility and ongoing dialogue will be critical to keeping people on board.
Phase 3: Beyond hybrid
Organisations that have reached this stage have moved beyond the hybrid conversation. They have integrated hybrid working into a broader flexible work model. Their experiences and approaches provide valuable insights into how this transition can best be managed.
A critical theme in this phase is the shift in narrative, where the focus is not solely on the hybrid debate but on achieving work flexibility and adaptability more broadly across the organisation.
This will include open work design conversations involving AI solutions, four-day work week options and other influences on how and where work can be done better and faster.
This encompasses reforming processes, enhancing employee experiences, reconfiguring workplaces and aligning change with ongoing cultural and transformational agendas.
In this phase, the emphasis also shifts to enabling teams to drive changes and improvements collaboratively rather than imposing them from the top down.
Furthermore, continuing support for managers to lead ongoing change becomes paramount in ensuring sustained success.
It is also quite common to see some organisations shift from one phase to another and back again, as they re-set strategies and solutions with employees and their people leaders.
The future agenda
As we move forward into 2024 and beyond, the perspective is shifting beyond the mere transition to hybrid working models.
Building on recent hybrid working experiences and fostering a culture of adaptability and agility will be transformative for both employers and employees, narrowing the gap between what employers offer and employees want.
The journey towards a flexible and adaptive workplace is ongoing and will continue at pace, with new chapters and milestones on the horizon.
Those organisations that prioritise learning from recent experiences and adapting to change as an ongoing habit will be best-equipped to succeed and minimise the employer/employee gap.
Kevin Empey is the Managing Director of WorkMatters
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