Emerging markets seem to be building flexible working into their structure as they develop, whereas established markets seem more sceptical about the trend
It’s grim out there, and people are doing everything they can to hold on to their jobs, including succumbing to ‘presenteeism’ to prove their commitment. Almost half (41 per cent) of office-based employees say they feel pressure to be present and visible in the office as a result of the economic climate and just over a quarter (27 per cent) felt their performance is primarily measured by the time they spend in the office1.
So what does this presenteeism trend mean for flexible working? Is tackling this issue the key to boosting flexible working take-up?
Globally, flexible working is a growing trend, with approximately one in five workers worldwide now regularly working remotely from their office base2. However, there are noticeable differences in take-up and attitude between established economies and emerging markets that are still finding their feet.
Emerging markets seem to be building flexible working into their structure as they develop, whereas established markets seem more sceptical about the trend. In India, for example, more than half of workers are home-based. Take-up levels are high in the Middle East, Latin America and Asia too, with nearly 10 per cent working from home every day2. But flexible working is far less popular in the UK, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, France, Italy and Canada, and enthusiasm for the idea is generally much lower in these countries.
Fears about flexible working though are common to all countries, with concerns about social isolation (62 per cent) and being overlooked for promotion (50 per cent) coming out top2.
So is a country’s economic situation the deciding factor that dictates flexible working take-up levels?
The figures suggest there’s more to it than the pressure to stay physically visible and useful to your boss when your home economy’s struggling. Rather, for established economies, introducing flexible working involves a change in culture — away from presenteeism and ‘command and control’ forms of management, towards measuring success by outcomes rather than processes. In many cases, it requires a cultural shift to a trust-based form of working. And this is hard for everyone involved at all levels in an organisation, particularly when the true nature of flexible working isn’t understood, leading to diligent flexible workers feeling undermined by the office-based worker’s belief that ‘working from home’ is code for an easier and lighter day.
However, we seem to be making progress in changing these attitudes, even in established economies. Globally, 65 per cent of people believe flexible workers are more productive because they have more control over their working life. And, taking the UK as an example of where attitudes have been entrenched, 52 per cent of employees and 39 per cent of employers now feel flexible working boosts productivity1 — so attitudes are moving in the right direction. And this shift is really given a boost by the increasing evidence out there showing concrete benefits to what has previously been seen as an intangible concept, particularly in terms of cost-reduction possibilities and the retention of valuable staff, e.g. maternity returners.
Out of all the research and work being done in this area, four factors appear to be fundamentally important to a successful flexible working culture:
- Leading from the top — board members, senior managers and line managers showing that it is a reality within the organisation by doing it themselves; showing that it works and that it’s truly supported; that it’s a good move for the business rather than an employee benefit.
- Managing by outcome rather than managing by presence — understanding that someone working away from the office hub is neither out of touch or out of control, that everyone concerned understands what their objectives are and what successful completion of these objectives will look like.
- Putting in place clear protocols around ways of working that get the most out of a dispersed team and create a clear structure for keeping team members in touch with one another.
- Providing the right tools to support flexible workers in carrying out their job to the same standards outside the office environment as they would be able to at the office-hub. This goes beyond email and needs to encompass access to all office systems, for example customer relationship management systems. The only difference between office and remote working when flexible working is functioning well should be less face-to-face time with colleagues.
Flexible working is so much more than taking your laptop home with you; it’s a vibrant discussion that every organisation should have to make sure they’re getting the most out of it.
BT was one of the original flexible working pioneers in the UK (beginning a remote working scheme in 1986) and is its own test bed for all of its flexible working products and services. At the moment, discussion around ways of using conferencing and video as collaborative and flexible working tools is hot with our customers.
Find out how BT One Video and BT One Conferencing can help your organisation here, or leave a comment below and we’ll take the discussion from there.
1Future of flexible working survey coordinated by O2, 2011.
2Ipsos/Reuters poll — results announced January 2012.
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Tags: bt one, conferencing services, flexible working, technology, tools
Simon,
excellent article on the impact hard times are having on flexible working adoption. Certainly in my own work I have seen an increased reluctance to work away from the office when jobs are threatened. It seems that we easily revert back to comfortable norms when threatened. It’s a pity as real alternatives exist.
I argue that remote working forces you to think hard about the contribution you make to your company. It makes you focus on outcomes and the quality of your work. After all, when you boss can’t actually see how hard you work they can only judge you by what you achieve and by the quality of what you produce. It should also make the company think hard about what they expect from you.
In that sense I think a high performing home worker is more secure than a middle performing office worker who happens to sit everyday next to the bosses office. I know I would rather have my future based on what I achieve and what I produce than on fickle relationships shaped by office politics.
Steve