While employees are generally very positive on the benefits of flexible working, employers can be split, and potentially for good reason. The Pro's:<ul><li>Improved work life balance. </li><li>Happier employees which can reduce illness and staff turnover. </li><li>More autonomy as employees can manage their own workload/time.</li></ul>The Con's: <ul><li>Staff can feel isolated. </li><li>Teams need to make extra effort to communicate. </li><li>Creativity can be more difficult when not face to face</li></ul> You need to balance these out.

The Pro's And Con's Of Flexible Working

<img width="1024" height="1024" alt="Productive Flexible Working" src="https://i2.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Productive-Flexible-Working.png?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Productive-Flexible-Working.png?w=1080&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https://i2.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Productive-Flexible-Working.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i2.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Productive-Flexible-Working.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i2.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Productive-Flexible-Working.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i2.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Productive-Flexible-Working.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i2.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Productive-Flexible-Working.png?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i2.wp.com/spurplanners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Productive-Flexible-Working.png?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w">For many, 2020 was a year of working from home. As vaccines look to get Covid under control a full-time return to offices looks unlikely as companies embrace flexible working. Many of us are trying to visualise what that might look like and understand what the future of productive flexible working might look like. Here is how it is shaping up.<div>"The only word I care about in working from home is 'working'".</div><div>Anon</div><h2>What The Studies Show.</h2>A growing number of studies have or are taking place to decide if productive flexible working really does exist. The interest in flexible working far out strips the recent Covid pandemic. A <a href="https://www.unison.org.uk/content/uploads/2014/09/On-line-Catalogue225422.pdf" dir="ltr">2014 survey by Unison</a> found that productivity increased by 30% with flexible working. More recently <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/work-home-productivity-talk-talk-coronavirus-b466148.html" dir="ltr">The Independent reported that 58% of employers</a> believe they are more productive with flexible working via a TalkTalk surveyThe TalkTalk survey also highlights some other pleasing benefits with 24% of people saying they had started learning a new language. The extra flexibility afforded by flexible working is allowing people to pursue new hobbies and work on their personal development.<h2>What Does Productive Flexible Working Look Like?</h2>Firstly, flexible working is not working from home full-time. That is something specific to Covid or your role already. Productive Flexible Working is the ability to work from different locations, potentially at different times, and still perform your job to a high degree of quality. Examples of flexible working would include;<UL><LI>Working full-time hours over 4 days, i.e. working longer on those 4 days.</LI><LI>Spending a percentage of your time in the office and the rest at home.</LI><LI>Starting work later, possible to do school runs, and then working later.</LI><LI>Working from different countries.</LI></UL><h2>The Pro’s And The Con’s.</h2>While employees are generally very positive on the benefits of flexible working, employers can be split, and potentially for good reason.The benefits of flexible working include;<UL><LI>Improved work life balance.</LI><LI>Happier employees which can reduce illness and staff turnover.</LI><LI>More autonomy as employees can manage their own workload/time.</LI></UL>The challenges include;<UL><LI>Staff can feel isolated.</LI><LI>Teams need to make extra effort to communicate.</LI><LI>Creativity can be more difficult when not face to face</LI></UL>Working flexibly does not have to be difficult as long as you put the right structure in place and communicate with your colleagues.<h2>How Can You Make Productive Flexible Working Work For You?</h2>The one thing everyone can agree on is that to have productive flexible working patterns individuals need to take more responsibility for their output. As somebody who has worked flexibility here are the structures I put in place to get the best from it:<h3>Have A Structure.</h3>Structure is the key. If you are to work different hours, different days or in different locations your colleagues need to know where you are. The easiest way to do that is to work the same pattern each week.Let’s say you work four days and two of those are from home. Aim to work the same four days each week and the same two of them from home. You work week may therefore be;Monday – in officeTuesday – at homeWednesday – non working dayThursday – at homeFriday – in office<h3>Core Work Times.</h3>Make yourself available during core work hours. For many office staff this is normally 10am – 12pm and 2pm – 4pm. It may differ in different roles and companies. If colleagues know when you are available, regardless of your location, it makes communication much simpler. It will also stop colleagues trying to book meetings when you are not available.Be strict about time you are not working. If you don’t work Wednesdays aim to stick to that. Sometimes you may happily attend a call or do some other work but make this the exception not the rule. Not only does it impact your work life balance but it can be confusing for colleagues who previously thought you weren’t available at that time.<h3>Make Colleagues Aware.</h3>This is so simple but often overlooked. There are two things you can do to help colleagues know your productive flexible working pattern;<UL><LI>In your email signature show your working pattern. That way everyone will see it.</LI><LI>Set up your calendar to show when you work and where. Most calendars allow you to grey out non working days and colour code days when you are in the office versus working from home.</LI></UL><h3>Manage Your Productivity.</h3>I have shared recent articles on <a href="https://spurplanners.com/how-do-i-organize-my-calendar/" dir="ltr">How To Organise Your Calendar,</a> <a href="https://spurplanners.com/how-to-be-more-efficient-at-work/" dir="ltr">How To Be More Efficient At Work</a> and <a href="https://spurplanners.com/working-from-home-wellbeing/" dir="ltr">Working From Home Wellbeing</a> among others. There are some specific things you can do have really productive flexible working habits though;<UL><LI>Use your commute time to answer emails, catch up on market news or review your calendar ahead of the day.</LI><LI>Maximise face to face interaction when you are in the office.</LI><LI>Use your working from home days to complete particularly difficult tasks as you have less distractions.</LI><LI>If you do some work outside of your core hours, turn off apps like Teams that show you are ‘available’ to stop people asking ‘a quick question’.</LI><LI>A working from day is still a work day. Get dressed, work in a designated space and set yourself goals for that day like any other.</LI></UL><h2>Discipline Is Needed.</h2>Productive flexible working is absolutely possible. Modern technology makes working from different locations easy. It is the human element that must be mastered. Colleagues need to know when you are available to maintain communication and productivity. You also need to strike a balance that works for you in the amount of face to face contact you need as a person and to perform your role.Finally, seek feedback. Ask colleagues if they are feeling a negative impact from your flexible working. That doesn’t mean you have to stop if they say yes, but there may be small tweaks you can make. Employers are much happier to support flexible working now, as long as it doesn’t negatively impact the company. Understanding any concerns early will stop them becoming bigger issues and keep you in a productive flexible working pattern.<h3>Share this:</h3>

Find out the best productive flexible working tips to let you work from home like a boss. How to make your flexible working work for you.

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For many, 2020 was a year of working from home. As vaccines look to get Covid under control a full-time return to offices looks unlikely as companies embrace flexible working. Many of us are trying to visualise what that might look like and understand what the future of productive flexible working might look like. Here is how it is shaping up.

A growing number of studies have or are taking place to decide if productive flexible working really does exist. The interest in flexible working far out strips the recent Covid pandemic. A <a href="https://www.unison.org.uk/content/uploads/2014/09/On-line-Catalogue225422.pdf">2014 survey by Unison </a>found that productivity increased by 30% with flexible working. More recently <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/work-home-productivity-talk-talk-coronavirus-b466148.html">The Independent reported that 58% of employers </a>believe they are more productive with flexible working via a TalkTalk survey

The TalkTalk survey also highlights some other pleasing benefits with 24% of people saying they had started learning a new language. The extra flexibility afforded by flexible working is allowing people to pursue new hobbies and work on their personal development.

What Does Productive Flexible Working Look Like?

Firstly, flexible working is not working from home full-time. That is something specific to Covid or your role already. Productive Flexible Working is the ability to work from different locations, potentially at different times, and still perform your job to a high degree of quality. Examples of flexible working would include;

<ul><li>Working full-time hours over 4 days, i.e. working longer on those 4 days. </li><li>Spending a percentage of your time in the office and the rest at home. </li><li>Starting work later, possible to do school runs, and then working later. </li><li>Working from different countries. </li> </ul>

While employees are generally very positive on the benefits of flexible working, employers can be split, and potentially for good reason.

The benefits of flexible working include;

<ul><li>Improved work life balance. </li><li>Happier employees which can reduce illness and staff turnover. </li><li>More autonomy as employees can manage their own workload/time. </li> </ul>

The challenges include;

<ul><li>Staff can feel isolated. </li><li>Teams need to make extra effort to communicate. </li><li>Creativity can be more difficult when not face to face </li> </ul>

Working flexibly does not have to be difficult as long as you put the right structure in place and communicate with your colleagues.

How Can You Make Productive Flexible Working Work For You?

The one thing everyone can agree on is that to have productive flexible working patterns individuals need to take more responsibility for their output. As somebody who has worked flexibility here are the structures I put in place to get the best from it:

Structure is the key. If you are to work different hours, different days or in different locations your colleagues need to know where you are. The easiest way to do that is to work the same pattern each week.

Let’s say you work four days and two of those are from home. Aim to work the same four days each week and the same two of them from home. You work week may therefore be;

Monday – in office

Tuesday – at home

Wednesday – non working day

Thursday – at home

Friday – in office

Make yourself available during core work hours. For many office staff this is normally 10am – 12pm and 2pm – 4pm. It may differ in different roles and companies. If colleagues know when you are available, regardless of your location, it makes communication much simpler. It will also stop colleagues trying to book meetings when you are not available.

Be strict about time you are not working. If you don’t work Wednesdays aim to stick to that. Sometimes you may happily attend a call or do some other work but make this the exception not the rule. Not only does it impact your work life balance but it can be confusing for colleagues who previously thought you weren’t available at that time.

This is so simple but often overlooked. There are two things you can do to help colleagues know your productive flexible working pattern;

<ul><li>In your email signature show your working pattern. That way everyone will see it. </li><li>Set up your calendar to show when you work and where. Most calendars allow you to grey out non working days and colour code days when you are in the office versus working from home. </li> </ul>

I have shared recent articles on <a href="https://spurplanners.com/how-do-i-organize-my-calendar/">How To Organise Your Calendar, </a><a href="https://spurplanners.com/how-to-be-more-efficient-at-work/">How To Be More Efficient At Work </a>and <a href="https://spurplanners.com/working-from-home-wellbeing/">Working From Home Wellbeing </a>among others. There are some specific things you can do have really productive flexible working habits though;

<ul><li>Use your commute time to answer emails, catch up on market news or review your calendar ahead of the day. </li><li>Maximise face to face interaction when you are in the office. </li><li>Use your working from home days to complete particularly difficult tasks as you have less distractions. </li><li>If you do some work outside of your core hours, turn off apps like Teams that show you are ‘available’ to stop people asking ‘a quick question’. </li><li>A working from day is still a work day. Get dressed, work in a designated space and set yourself goals for that day like any other. </li> </ul>

Productive flexible working is absolutely possible. Modern technology makes working from different locations easy. It is the human element that must be mastered. Colleagues need to know when you are available to maintain communication and productivity. You also need to strike a balance that works for you in the amount of face to face contact you need as a person and to perform your role.

Finally, seek feedback. Ask colleagues if they are feeling a negative impact from your flexible working. That doesn’t mean you have to stop if they say yes, but there may be small tweaks you can make. Employers are much happier to support flexible working now, as long as it doesn’t negatively impact the company. Understanding any concerns early will stop them becoming bigger issues and keep you in a productive flexible working pattern.

What Is Productive Flexible Working? - Spur Planners

The Pro's And Con's Of Flexible Working

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