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FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT ‘FLEXIBLE WORKING’ MEANS TO POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS
FLEXIBLE working arrangements top the wish list for many Australians, with increasing numbers willing to change company for the chance to work when and where suits them.
But experts urge jobseekers to know exactly what they are looking for when choosing an employer, as flexibility means different things to different people.
WHAT DO WE WANT?
New research from business communication platform Slack finds Australia’s knowledge workers are looking for flexibility both in their work hours (75 per cent report this) and in their work location (67 per cent). The Reinvention of Work report reveals almost half (45 per cent) would look for a more flexible role elsewhere if they were not offered some flexibility in where they work, and this is especially true of those with care giving responsibilities (55 per cent) and aged younger than 35 (51 per cent).
IT’S NOT ALL THE SAME
For some people, flexibility means being able to complete their eight hours of work each day across any eight hours.
They can work all through the night; or start at midday; or do four hours, then take a break to walk the dog and go to the gym, then four hours at night – and it’s all the same to their boss.
For others, flexibility means working from home, with no obligation to ever enter an office or talk to colleagues face-to-face.
For others again, it’s a hybrid situation – perhaps with set days in the office each week, perhaps coming in when there is a meeting to attend.
Software company Biza.io chief people officer Sally Park says her team has a “remote native” approach.
“During Covid, we had some employees that had a great home office set up and really thrived working remotely, but we found others struggled not being in the office,” she says.
“As things opened back up, we realised we couldn’t simply ask our team to carry on however they chose without really considering how we could make both work more seamlessly together – it seemed like a bit of a cop-out to us. We wanted to be intentional about our working policies.
“Remote native allows our staff to choose between two equally viable, productive and fulfilling working options.”
Park says the key has been investing in the right collaboration technology.
“Rather than pointing a camera at a whiteboard in the office that no one can see, we use a multi-user virtual whiteboard so collaborative-style meetings that tech companies have traditionally thrived on can continue, no matter where our team is,” she says.
“This has helped eliminate the outdated feeling that collaboration is better in person and removes that ‘guilt’ many still have about opting not to come into the office for those kinds of meetings.”
She says Biza.io has also created a “high-trust environment where we don’t clock watch”.
“Our only requirement is that everyone dials in to the stand-up check-in every morning from wherever they are,” she says.
ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
Nick Deligiannis, managing director of recruiting experts Hays, urges jobseekers to ask about an organisation’s flexible working policy before they even reach the interview stage.
“That will give you an understanding of their commitment to flexibility, then, in the interview, you can ask questions about how it works in practice,” he says.
Deligiannis suggests questions such as: On a normal day, what percentage of staff work in the office and what percentage work remotely? Where is the role based and is there flexibility for where work can be carried out? For this specific role, is there a minimum or maximum number of days or hours for an employee to be in the office? Are there core working hours that are required for this role? For example, is there an expectation for this role that staff are online between certain hours as a minimum?
Park says it can also be a good idea to run a potential employer through your ideal work week then see how they respond. “This can be anything from preferring to work a condensed work week, to wanting to go for a swim at 10am every day or a preference for taking calls from the park,” she says.
“Be honest and you might be surprised what you’ll get in return.”
She also recommends questioning companies that promote a “remote first” policy as this implies they prioritise remote working and there is no benefit from offering an office environment.