Shining Mondays ought to be an option

If you’ve read some of my previous blogs you will know that I like to talk a lot about flexible work and the benefits of it. I mean, it’s pretty straight forward – would your company want a more productive, more profitable, more committed workforce who are happier, less stressed and more engaged?

It really does sound like a bit of a no brainer, doesn’t it? But most organisations I speak to are actually looking to reduce the amount of flexible work they offer and return to a ‘normal’ working week. They say they haven’t had a negative experience and have been pleased with the way their staff have responded to flexible work. But that they have decided it’s not for them.

Why? Because they have confused flexible work with remote work.

Back to ‘normal’

Unsurprisingly very few organisations feel they are able to offer 100% remote work, and only ever saw this as a temporary measure whilst we learned to work around Covid-19. So companies feel quite comfortable telling me that, come spring/summer next year, they intend to go back to ‘normal’ and offer no flexibility at all. Only 15-20% of employees would consider 100% remote work, so that’s OK right?

Hold on. What about all the other flexible work options that are out there that people are looking for?

Shining Mondays

What about flexi-time, time-shifts, reduced hours, compressed hours, agile working and even shining Mondays – a system trialled in Japan where employees take Monday morning off once a month. All are very valuable forms for flexible working. All deliver the benefits mentioned above. And offering all or any of those options will make your company an employer of choice!

There is so much more to flexible work than just remote work and I can’t stress enough how important it is for companies to get this right now. It really is the perfect opportunity to develop some watertight flexible work policies that can be introduced before people start to return to the office that will appeal to you and your colleagues present and future. This is your chance to speak to your Managers, HR or Directors and drive the agenda around flexible working, getting them to implement fresh policies that will benefit you and the business both now and in the future.

Just don’t leave it too late.

Simon Gregory is managing partner at GPS Return.

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