Depending on how the question is worded, studies show anywhere from 20 to 80 percent of employers offer some type of
formal flexible work program to their employees.
Erin Kelly, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota who has authored studies on ROWE, said companies are unfairly
scapegoating flexible work programs for their subpar performances.
There are several things HR can play a large role in when it comes to creating a
successful flexible work program, such as formal policy creation, management training, communication norms, tools and resources, and team building.
Global health care company Roche has a
unique flexible work program that offers employees 12 days of remote work per quarter (48 days / year).
Even after publicly pulling back from its
broader flexible work program, Best Buy has continued to offer some work flexibility, including remote and seasonal jobs, in the recent past.
Determining the ultimate goals of
a flexible work program will help bring structure to the plan.
In laying the foundation for
a flexible work program, understand the reasons for offering such work.
Understand what they would like in
a flexible work program so you can create offerings that appeal to your workers and potential hires.
So, how can a company create a formalized
flexible work program that reaps positive benefits, both for the bottom line and for employees?
In addition to attracting top talent,
your flexible work program should be retaining your top performers.
During team meetings or updates, ask managers to inform employees about
the flexible work program.
Eighty per cent of companies claim to have
flexible work programs, but only three per cent of these companies offering flexible work programs report even attempting to track the ROI of those programs.
For job seekers, knowing that an employer has not only studied how to create a formalized
flexible work program, but also implemented one, is a strong signal of the organization commitment.
HR professionals need to be the driving force behind creating formalized
flexible work programs that allow employees to have more control over when, where, and how they work — but that are also tied to the company's overarching business goals and to the bottom line.
So a casual,
flexible work program can run into all sorts of pitfalls because there's a lack of oversight, transparency, and consistency.