Why we at Tomorrow’s People embrace flexible work

People and organisations are increasingly catching on to the model of flexible working and how it benefits both workers and employers. Here at Tomorrow’s People we embrace the concept whole heartedly - read on to find out why.

Live to work or work to live?

The nature of work as we know it has undergone dramatic change in just a few generations. Among other things, this can be attributed to rapid technological change shifting the way work and business is done, as well as socio-historical changes in the make-up of family structures, household incomes and the gendered division of labour.

In 2014 Statistics New Zealand published the report Flexibility and security in employment: Findings from the 2012 Survey of Working Life, aimed at informing policy based on the shifting nature of work in New Zealand. This highlighted the increasing prevalence of ‘non-standard’ work, as it becomes more common to depart from the model of permanent, full-time, waged or salaried jobs at a fixed workplace.

In contrast, the so-called “gig economy” describes a labour market characterised by more short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs. The 2012 Survey of Working Life found that one third of New Zealand workers are in self-employed, part-time or temporary work, and 50% of those in permanent work have some flexibility.

Flexible work might take a number of forms, ranging from working at home, flexi-time, part-time, condensed hours or job share. Bain & Company define flexible work as “allowing employees a measure of control over when, where and how they work, including working part-time, working from home, setting their own hours and taking a leave of absence”.

It is also worth noting that in some instances flexibility might be used as a veil for job insecurity: where the hours and income cannot be guaranteed by the employer. What we’re advocating here is that which, in benefiting the employee through empowering them to choose a work schedule that fits in with their life, also benefits the organisation.

In part, the push for adopting a model of flexible work is driven by millennials, who now represent the majority generation in the workforce. Research by Deloitte demonstrates that above all, millennials value having a purpose behind their work, and expect to be engaged and enabled to innovate and collaborate through technology. The millennial generation has contributed to a shift in culture where we no longer want to dedicate our life to a job. Rather, work and life are integrated, and we work towards making both of these rewarding and fulfilling. This approach inherently orients us towards a flexible working model in which neither work or life need be sacrificed. 

With the shift in attitudes towards jobs moving from ‘living to work’ to ‘working to live’, companies are beginning to realise that by recognising that their staff have whole lives beyond their jobs, and they will have happier, more loyal and engaged staff if they allow work to fit in with life. 

The case for flexible work

While not yet the mainstream, flexible work options are becoming increasingly popular, and with good reason. Workplaces that promote flexible arrangements signal their investment in engaged employees and a progressive ethos to work. Global tech company CISCO explain that their flexible working practices drive employee engagement and loyalty, whilst ultimately allowing them to retain and develop talent.

Technology now allows us to have a virtual office structure, where connections and collaborations are increasingly facilitated through digital technologies. Increasingly, employers are realising that employees want an agile work environment where the work culture leverages the potential of technology to enable flexible work.

The evidence shows that staff who are happy and able to retain their lives outside of work are more likely to advocate for your business, stay in their jobs, and be more productive. According to the State Services Commission, organisations that utilise the concept of flexible work for their staff have higher performance and better success at attracting and retaining staff. Similarly, New Zealand’s Ministry for Women notes that flexible work arrangements are a “key enabler of parents’ labour force participation”.  

Research by the New Zealand Families Commission from 2007/08 found flexible working arrangements provide significant benefits for workers and their families, enabling them to simultaneously meet care responsibilities and participate in the workforce. And while child and elder care is certainly a strong motivator for many people’s desire to have flexible working arrangements, the case for championing its benefits is by no means limited to these reasons.

Others may have health conditions or disabilities which require their workload and schedule to be flexible so that they can manage their condition. Equally, other employees might have another passion which they wish to pursue alongside paid work such as professional sport, creative endeavours, community advocacy, or studying/training to learn a new skill. Enabling people to remain actively involved in what interests them demonstrates employers’ commitment to employees’ overall happiness and work/life balance. As such, their employees are happier, more productive workers who are less likely to be looking for a new job.   

Business resistance and legislative change

In some sectors, there is a sentiment in established companies that the model of flexible work won’t fit existing structures and business models. For example, dealing with clients and having face to face contact. Other common myths associated with resistance to embracing a flexible work culture include the perception that people will slack off if they’re not in the office, that flexible workers are difficult to manage, or that customers won’t like it.

In fact, a large Australian survey by Bain & Company and CEW  reported higher productivity and less stress as a result of their flexible work arrangement. The 2013 Australian EY Productivity Pulse reports that ‘super achievers’ tend to devote high work effort to their company in return for flexibility that supports their work-life balance. Flexible work arrangements don’t mean people don’t get the job done or spend time with colleagues and clients, it just means staff are equipped with more control over when and how they get their job done.

Furthermore, employers aren’t able to lead this transformation alone; the commitment will need to go beyond business leaders. The move to fully integrate flexible working in our modern labour model also requires support from government, for example in regards to subsidised childcare and rigorous employment policy. These structural changes both contribute to and reflect changes in public perceptions of what ‘working’ looks like beyond the 9-5 office life.

The need for our labour market to respond to changing social structures and technological advances is recognised in laws such as the Employment Relations (Flexible Working Arrangements) Amendment Act 2007. Under the Employment Relations Amendment Act (2014), employers are legally obliged to provide a process for any employee to request a flexible working arrangement. Under Part 6AA of the Employment Relations Act 2000, all employees can apply in writing to their employer to request a change in their hours, days, or place or work to enable things like job sharing and working remotely.

The gender perspective

“The need for flexible work is gender-neutral—it has significant advantages for men, women, organisations and economies alike. Normalising flexible work opens up new sources of talent and new ways of operating, and this is key to being an innovative and agile business”. Craig Meller, CEO, AMP

Part of the changing nature of the model for work can be linked to socio-historical shifts in which dual career households are now the norm. Gone are the days when the male was the breadwinner and female the home keeper. Many other family structures make up our social fabric, including those with one parent, same gender parents, no children, or multiple generations in the same home.

Much of the commentary around providing flexible work emphasises that it provides a pathway for mothers to stay in or participate in work, and to progress to senior positions while they have children, thus contributing to narrowing gender inequity at the executive level. 

But flexible work isn’t just about accommodating mothers who want to be in the workforce in a way that allows them to continue to carry the lion’s share of the household and childcare duties. It’s about rethinking the notion of work in relation to life and family so that everyone is able to lead more balanced and equal social and economic roles. Not just as workers but as people.

Flexible work can be a tool which helps shake the restrictive historical connotations of men with careers and women with families, both of which offer a narrow and potentially stifling position to today’s workers and parents. This is about enabling people of all genders to participate to their fullest potential in service to our communities, businesses, and families.

Alongside stereotypes about flexible work being the ‘mummy path’, research suggests men report that the option of flexible work is less available to them as a viable option. In order to be successful in changing and challenging gender roles in the workplace and the home, flexible work needs to be equally available to men and women. And it needs to be widely taken up and adopted so that it’s not associated with the career slow-lane or being less ambitious.

Further, the adoption of flexible work needs to be adopted across all sectors to prevent it from actually exacerbating the gender pay gap. The State Service Commission report that social, health, education and administrative professions are more likely to offer part-time work. Flexible work must be embraced equally across the finance, legal, IT and managerial spectrums in order for this change to contribute to equal gendered workforce participation and remuneration.

In professional services industries, the old-fashioned perception is that the path to the top is through commitment to your career at all costs; working long hours and forfeiting time for other fulfilling areas of your life. In order to break down existing barriers to female representation at the top level and full male involvement in family life, we need to re-imagine the notion that caring for children and being a partner in a firm are mutually exclusive possibilities. As Sanders, Zeng, Hellicar & Fagg eloquently state in Insights, “It is only by ensuring that flexible arrangements work for men and women that we will change entrenched gender norms […], retain the best talent in our workforce and increase our overall productivity”.

If you've had a positive experience with flexible work, please leave us a comment and share your experience! Stay tuned for a future post in which we profile a range of people who have various flexible work arrangements and why it works for them.