Flexible work arrangements are no longer exclusive to working parents. They are now recognised as a valuable tool for attracting, retaining, and motivating top talent, and boosting productivity, irrespective of gender, age, or position.

Today, over 70% of organisations in Australia’s private sector have flexible work policies in place, giving employees a greater say over where, when and how they work. Many large companies, like PwC and Westpac, are now flexible by default.

Also, a host of others have informal flexible work arrangements with their employees on an ‘as needed’ basis.

Embracing flexible work arrangements undoubtedly helps employees manage their lives, but it also poses managerial challenges. If your team is dispersed across various locations and working different hours, what's the best way to manage them effectively?

Here, we look at a number of effective ways to help manage your team wherever they are and whenever they’re working.

 

BUILDING THE RIGHT FOUNDATION

Creating a company culture that supports flexible working is a good first step to moving away from the traditional nine-to-five office-based set-up. This means embracing values such as accountability, transparency and trust, which all resonate well with today’s workers, and honouring their freedom.

So rather than micro-managing team members and scheduling in endless catch-ups, employers are encouraged to give them space to get the job done their way. This also shifts the focus on outcomes, not activity, as a means of measuring performance.

By building a strong foundation that’s based on treating people like the responsible, capable beings they are, employees are more inclined to do the right thing and put in their best effort.

Consulting firm Inventium is one Australian company committed to this approach. Having established a culture around mutual respect and trust, it began offering employees not just completely flexible work schedules, but unlimited paid annual leave in 2016. 

Three years on, the model has proven a success. While employees take an average of five and a half weeks of annual leave, sick days have dropped to two and a half days. At the same time, engagement has increased and employee retention has doubled. 

 

SETTING CLEAR EXPECTATIONS

Of course, for employees to do a great job, they need to know exactly what’s required of them. And this is particularly the case when they’re separated from their team members by time and/or distance. Some workers may be more self-motivated than others.

Depending on the role, clearly outlined tasks and/or deliverables with deadlines can help foster a sense of ownership and keep employees engaged. It’s a good idea to set milestones along the way to motivate team members and maintain momentum. Issuing reminders can be helpful, too, especially when employees are juggling multiple priorities.

It’s also important for employees to know how their work fits into the bigger picture and what other team members are doing. Regular video meetings or conference calls are a good way to keep everyone informed.

This kind of transparency can help support a productive team culture, ensuring all members are focused and working towards the same goal.

 

TURNING TO TECHNOLOGY

Just as technology has enabled the move to more flexible work practices, team collaboration software is now a major growth area, with the global market poised to reach US$16.6 billion by 2025.

You may already be familiar with Google’s Docs and Sheets products, which allow teams to edit files simultaneously and automatically save their changes, but you can take your pick of more sophisticated collaborative tools to keep your team connected and on track.

Popular platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams, for instance, are essentially digital versions of an open office space, supporting group chats organised by topic and private messaging, file sharing, video calls, and more.

Meanwhile, for more in-depth project management needs, you can turn to tools like Asana and Trello, which help businesses plan and manage projects from start to finish, including assigning tasks and checking progress, ensuring everyone’s on the same page wherever they are.

And if you think productivity needs a boost or suspect a particular team member is letting the side down, time tracking software such as Time Doctor can sync up with other applications and show you exactly what everyone’s spending their time on. Its monitoring feature can even be set up to take screenshots of your employees’ screens at specified intervals and identify distractions or inefficiencies.

 

DELIVERING SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

When adopting flexible working practices, start with small changes and gradually increase flexibility as you find what works for your business and employees. For example, start by offering one day a week where employees can work from home.

Clear communication and employee involvement are crucial for successful flexible working. Ensure all team members are informed about decisions and ask for their input whenever possible.

As long as expectations are clear and there's mutual trust and openness, flexible working benefits everyone. It allows employees to achieve work-life balance and gives businesses a competitive advantage by attracting and retaining committed employees.