If this year has taught us anything, it’s that being flexible is essential. For businesses, this is especially true, with so many having to switch their staff to remote working at a moment’s notice, some without any policies in place.

After seeing the way flexible working worked for them during this stressful time, this is an opportunity to ask yourself if you need to hire a dedicated Flexible Working Executive to lead your company’s journey into remote working over the next couple of years.

It’s smart thinking. While we hope a vaccine will help us to return to normal before too long, there remains the threat of something like this happening again. The pandemic has really illuminated what is important for everyone, and for businesses, this is being able to continue on, no matter what the world throws at us next. It’s time to face the fact that flexible working is not going away – we’re experiencing a  fundamental shift in human culture.

Who in your business will be responsible for keeping on top of the ever-changing nature of remote working, by constantly learning and educating themselves on current best practice?

This is the role of a Flexible Working Executive. They have the essential job of keeping track of who has company-owned equipment at home and whether every staff member has an office space that complies with health and safety regulations.

Importantly, this person is the expert on the company’s remote working policies and will be able to see when they need to evolve with the current situation. They also educate and empower people leaders to bridge the gap between policy intent and manager application.

They coach staff on how to document their work from home and how to ensure that team communications, collaboration and engagement is maintained. Not to mention, providing support for flexible working practices with the necessary strategies such as, insurance and travel, to make things like in-person engagements form part of the company culture.

This person is also the voice for the remote worker, ensuring that all staff, even those who never come into the physical office, get the same benefits and opportunities as those who work at the company address.

There’s also the added workload of regularly evaluating the impact that flexible working is having on your baseline and using the analytics as a tangible measure to make informed strategic decisions.

There are many facets to remote working, and with it becoming the new normal for businesses around the world, it’s important that you have a clear and concise policy around your business strategy and standpoint on it. This way, you are not on the back foot when staff request it – or when a disaster makes it mandatory.

For help recruiting your own Flexible Working Executive, or support with building flexible working practice in your business contact us today – it’s what we do: hello@freerangeworks.co.nz or 0800 04 FLEX.