The 7 pillars of flexibility
The flexibility at your workplace can be broken down into 7 overall pillars
Your success in this new era of work will be defined by your ability to challenge outdated business norms and ask what really makes sense.
The most successful companies of tomorrow will understand that giving their employees flexibility is the best way to empower them, to stay motivated, engaged, and to do great work.
We’ve broken down 7 areas employers can consider when looking to build a more flexible workplace.
The 7 pillars
Flexibility for workers can mean a few different things and we’ve broken it down into 7 pillars employers can consider when looking to build a more flexible workplace that empowers their talent.
Location
After a year of remote working, many people have new ideas about how location affects their work — and the results are far from one size fits all. Smart companies will allow employees to decide on their work location, and trust that they understand their own needs better than their employer does. They’ll also create infrastructure that supports a more flexible workplace.
Flexibility of human resources
Attracts better talent
Increased motivation
Autonomy
Employers are now handing over an increasing level of trust and autonomy to their workers, prioritizing trust and empowering them to make the right decisions for the business.
Flexibility here looks at your ability to move away from a hierarchical approach to decision making and trust your employees to make decisions and hold themselves accountable for their own work.
Better employee engagement and development
Better employee productivity
More efficient teams
Time
People increasingly want the chance to adapt their working hours to their individual needs. This may mean starting earlier if they’re a morning person, or taking a break in the afternoon to pick up their kids from school.
Time flexibility means allowing your employees to work whenever makes the most sense for them, and helps enable workforce collaboration across different time zones.
Attracts better talent
Flexibility to better meet personal schedules
Collaboration across time zones
Collaboration
Flexibility here means increasing opportunities for cross-functional collaboration wherever possible, instead of limiting their work to only one team. This gives employees the flexibility to learn about different aspects of the business, stretch themselves in new ways, and consider lateral moves to different areas of the business. It helps them shape their own career journey with your company.
Promotes knowledge sharing
Improves social climate
Improves employee development
Values
Our personal values and priorities guide us, and can influence us in many different areas of our lives. Do you feel like you need to mold your ideas and values to fit with your employer’s? Or do you feel empowered to bring your own ideas and values to your work?
When an employee lives in conflict with their values, they’ll struggle to stay motivated and their performance will sharply decline. Companies that allow for flexibility in different values and priorities ensure their teams will stay happy and fulfilled in their work.
Employees more invested in their work
Improved satisfaction and wellbeing
More diversity of thought
Diversity
A diverse workforce makes your company stronger by giving you a more rounded mix of ideas and points of view. But you'll need to take the right steps to encourage and foster a more diverse place.
By making sure all employees feel respected and heard, advertising job openings on a wider range of sites, and coaching hiring managers in unconscious biases, you create a more culturally flexible workplace that encourages a diverse workforce.
Attracts a wider range of talent
More points of view for problem solving
Increased creativity and innovation
Education
Whether it’s what we studied, where we studied, or how long we studied for, we all have different backgrounds in terms of education. When you’re more flexible with employee education, you can welcome employees from different backgrounds and skill sets, and give them the opportunity to develop their existing skills and build new ones.
Promotes individual growth
Larger and more diverse talent pool
Wider range of skills and talents
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