When mobile computing manufacturer Toshiba recently commissioned independent research to investigate the attitudes towards flexible working in Australian and New Zealand companies, the results were concerning.

The 2004 Mobility and Mistrust report indicated that despite the many advantages that flexible working is believed to offer in terms of greater work/life balance, productivity improvements, greater, employee retention and direct cost-savings, many organisations were not offering it.

The reason for the slow uptake was not lack of technology, but rather management beliefs, including mistrust of employees. The difficulty in monitoring and supervising employees was perceived to be the greatest disadvantage of flexible working; in other words, many organisations simply didn’t know how to manage staff when they couldn’t see them. This indicated that there was scope to increase trust by using performance criteria rather than attendance based evaluation techniques.

Prompted by these findings, Toshiba established the Flexible Workplace Special Interest Group (SIG), made up of 17 blue-chip Australian companies including specialists in organisational culture, human resources, organisational development and information technology. Six months of discussion and information sharing by this group resulted in the development of the reference guide, Flexible Working: A Guide to Creating and Managing a Flexible Workplace.

The purpose of the guide is to offer information, resources and practical advice to help organisations take the steps that will work for them. It is intended for both managers and employees - anyone who can advocate and facilitate the introduction of flexible working. To this end, seven chapters are included addressing the ‘why’, ‘what’, ‘who’, ‘how’, ‘where’ and ‘when’ to consider flexible working.

Why flexible working?
Flexible working offers organisations and employees a great opportunity to improve productivity, save costs and make work a more enjoyable experience. In addition, organisations who offer a better work environment will also have an edge over competitors, tapping into a wider pool of human talent, from full-time employees seeking a better work/life balance to those experienced part-timers, such as semi-retirees or mothers returning to work.

Indeed, a recent Development Dimensions International (DDI) research report showed that:

• A lack of qualified applicants is a major barrier to hiring new employees
• 60 per cent of respondents described competition for talent as competitive or highly competitive
• 86 per cent of HR respondents indicated that employees are concerned with work/life balance and will seek this during the recruitment process.

What is flexible working?
The guide defines flexible working covers any work that isn’t ‘fixed’ in some way, including flexibility of time, place, or both such as part-time work, adjusted hours, weeks on and weeks off, job sharing, working at home or the office or mobile working.

Flexible working must offer mutual benefit to the business and employees.

For businesses, the benefits include greater employee satisfaction, gratitude and loyalty, the retention of experienced employees, and recruitment and training cost savings. Flexible working can also lead to increased productivity, direct savings in office space requirements, company vehicle and parking costs, and potentially a reduction in infectious illnesses and sick leave, and reduced disruption from events such as road closures or industrial action.

For employees, flexible working offers increased job satisfaction through greater freedom to manage time and tasks, and the ability to plan around other commitments including those of a family. Flexible working can also mean employees are committing fewer hours to the work day in time spent organising, dressing and commuting – without actually working fewer hours.

Building trust
The guide concludes that trust between employees and their managers and colleagues is the foundation of an effective flexible working program. A high level of organisational trust increases morale, reduces absenteeism, promotes innovation, facilitates decision-making and aids in managing change.

The guide suggests several ways managers can build trust amongst teams: by hiring and promoting the right people, providing leadership, offering training and development opportunities, being transparent and consistent with information, and involving employees in solutions.

Measuring performance not attendance
According to Toshiba’s special interest group one of the most challenging but beneficial shifts required in implementing flexible working is to begin to measure employees on their performance rather than attendance. Indeed, the guide suggests all organisations, whether flexible or not, should embrace this method as a way of eliminating ‘presentee-ism’ and increasing productivity.

Suggested methods to achieve this include analysing what the employee produces for the business and then agreeing suitable targets, reporting methods and checks. Rather than via annual appraisals, performance could be monitored through an ongoing performance-development process where employees and managers work together to identify learning and development needs, reflect on achievements and plan for growth.

The guide includes tips on managing remote workers and building an effective organisational culture with flexible workers, including maintaining team spirit, building trust and communication amongst team mates. Suggestions are offered on how to measure the performance of employees based on productivity and business needs, rather than by ‘presence’ or time, and examples are provided on how and why companies have implemented flexible working, including case studies on WMC Resources and Telstra.

The guide also provides worksheets for conducting cost/benefit analysis to determine the financial benefits available, employee self assessment checks to determine individual suitability towards flexible working, and guidance on how to secure managerial buy-in for implementing flexible working and information on the practical requirements for successful flexible working, including technology requirements and home office environments.

The new workplace model
According to Toshiba’s special interest group flexible working is a workplace model for a modern age. With more and more people beginning to appreciate the value of a healthy work/life balance – and demand it of their employers – the group says adoption of the practice will continue to rise.

For more information
To obtain a copy of Flexible Working: A Guide to Creating and Managing a Flexible Workplace or the original Mobility and Mistrust report, please contact Toshiba on 0800 441 615.

November 2005