Overcoming Resistance to Flexible Work

July 24, 2009

Goals for this session

Examine attitudes and preconceptions about flexible work

Provide practical ways to address and overcome them

Present a roadmap for launching a flexible workplace

Flexible workplaces have been proven to deliver bottom-line results

Attract talent Employee loyalty Employee engagement Customer satisfaction Customer retention Customer service levels Continuity/disaster

readiness Productivity Profitability

Absenteeism Turnover Real estate costs Utilities Expenses

But…

Flexibility in many organizations is still considered:

benefit accommodation “soft” impediment to career advancement informal non-existent

How many of you… have a flex work program currently?

are considering one?

have encountered resistance along the way?

Who was the source of resistance?ManagementPeers YourselfAll of the above

It’s very common to encounter resistance at all levels,

even once a program is in place.

What are some of the most common concerns? How can we address them?

1. We’re a high performing organizationWe have work that needs to get done and clients to be served.

We can’t have our employees all over the place and not know what they’re doing.

Characteristics of a flex team: transparency communication teamwork goal orientation creativityBest Buy: Employee productivity increased 35% after implementing a ROWE

Capital One: 74% of employees say flex increased their productivity. Improved speed of communication by 33% from peers, 25% from managers

2. Our business requires on-site workersWe’re a manufacturing/hospitality/on-premise company that

needs workers to be physically present, so flex won’t work for us.

A new study by Corporate Voices for Working Families identifies best practices for hourly workers:

• Occasional flextime• Shift trades• Alternate shift scheduling• Vacation half-daysContinental Airlines Reservations Department:5% turnover rate vs. industry average 40% due to flex work program

PNC Financial Services Group: Reduced overtime and unscheduled absences with flex

•Employee designed schedules•Remote work•Flextime coupons

3. Do it for one? We have to do it for all.And, we’re not sure everyone should have flexibility. How do I

handle the jealousy? Who’ll answer the phones on Fridays?

Accommodation: Biggest mistake companies make Too hard to track Grows out of control Takes on a life of its own

Formalize your program: control the process to control the outcome.

Life Meets Work Study: 77% of employers surveyed said they offered FWA’s, yet only 20% of employees thought their employer was supportive of work/life issues.

Hewitt Study: Less than 50% of companies communicated their flex programs, 31% of those in order to limit use.

3. Flexibility is a matter of degrees

Accommodation ROWE

Individual Team

Job Career

4. Flex teams are harder to manageOur managers aren’t trained to be able to manage a flexible

work team.

Managing flex workers makes us better managers.

Set goals, communicate, track performance.

Training benefits all managers, not just those managing flex teams.

5 Keys to successfully managing a flex team:•Agree upon rules of engagement•Create a sense of place•Communicate deliberately•Set goals and track performance•Choose the right people

5. Won’t they be home watching Oprah?How do I know my employees won’t be at home doing their

laundry or running errands on company time?

Set goals and expectations and track performance.

Flex is a two-way street: agree to rules of engagement.

Based on performance, not who’s last to leave the employee lot.

Many of your employees are out of sight anyway on sales calls, site visits, etc.

Sun Microsystems’ Open Work program:60% of time spent commuting is now given back in the form of work. Telecommuters score higher on performance ratings than onsite peers

National Science Foundation Study: 87% of employees and managers agreed telecommuters’ productivity improved or stayed the same.

6. We don’t have resources to devote to this

We’re just trying to stay afloat. We don’t have the money/time/energy to focus on this right now.

Flex programs deliver what you need in a recession: real-estate and utility cost savings improved productivity and employee engagement reduced turnover

Flex doesn’t have to cost money. You’re not obligated to buy everyone a laptop.

State of Utah:Implemented a four-day workweek in Summer, 2008Cut energy use by 13% across 900 government office buildings

Sun Microsystems’ Open Work program: saves over $70M/yr in real estate costs

7. Our employees aren’t going anywhereThere’s great talent in the market and our employees can’t

leave. Is this really necessary?

They may not be leaving now, but job switching increases dramatically during a recovery.

Take steps now to improve loyalty and retention. Attract “A” talent now and in the future. Top talent wants

flex. Avoid turnover costs when the market turns. The labor shortage still exists. It’s just masked by the

recession.

Corporate Voices for Working Families Study: 80% of managers and employees agree that flexibility is important to attract and retain talent.

Clean Air Campaign Study: 60% of teleworkers are less likely to look for another job

Where do we go from here?

10 steps to successful implementation 1. Build the business case.2. Select FWA’s to fit your culture.3. Determine KPI’s to judge success.4. Agree upon rules of engagement.5. Launch a pilot. 6. Invest in training.7. Communicate results.8. Engage employees at the right time.9. Encourage performance-based management.10. Expand the program.

Thank you!

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact me:

Kyra CavanaughPresidentLife Meets Workkcavanaugh@lifemeetswork.com888-462-5691