Being an agile worker is still a work in
progress…
Is
flexibility now a reality in the workplace?
And is it really working?
We keep
renaming it – remote, activity based and agile work being some of the current
terms.
The
assumption of control over one’s own time and deliverables does look like a
great way to work and live, and it seems to be is a high priority for those
entering the business world.
There is
also the development of the agile work space, where people come to the office
each day, but don’t have a fixed work area.
We used to call it hot desking back in the day and it met with mixed
success. Today, office designers have
started to create work spaces which are intended to encourage innovative
thought, cross departmental collaboration and improved productivity.
My research
indicates that the mix of engaged and disengaged employees in an open plan
workspace does not always have the desired effect of the positive workers
influencing the culture. In fact, a case
study of a senior executive who was part of a recent move of a large corporate
into a completely open plan space has given the following feedback:
Adding to the open plan is the agile
philosophy. This has the effect of
people arriving at work at varying times of the day. There are greetings, personal conversations,
smoke & coffee breaks at odd times, all resulting in constant noise and
movement. Should you be off work for a
day or two, everybody in your immediate area, no matter what time they arrive,
pop over for a chat to find out why you were off work, was it leave or were you
ill, possibly on a business trip. This
conversation can happen 10 times over a period of two to three hours. In open plan space, you politely answer each
non work related query and accept that you are going to do your real work
before and after work hours.
One executive estimates that open plan space
has added 3 hours daily to his work hours.
While both
HR and line management are very much aware that both current employers and new
recruits are looking for guidance and ideas as how to achieve work/life balance,
productivity and negative disruption must be part of the conversations.
It is accepted
that this balance has to form part of the workplace. Yes people still need to prove themselves,
initiative is still expected, hard
work and commitment are still viewed
as non-negotiable – but the dynamics of the employee/employer relationship is
changing.
Innovation
in ICT is enabling this. Mobile and wireless solutions, the latest in
applications and devices, the focus on access to data and corporate network
security, mean that knowledge workers can produce virtually from any place at
any time.
The
advantages of a mobile workforce include an increase in productivity, lower
total cost of ownership and a wider, more direct reach to the market.
In this
respect the corporate market has matured quite significantly. In essence an
employee should be just as effective and productive within his or her own
environment, working at their own time & pace as one who clocks in at an
office every day.
Part of the design of an agile workforce is
around designing an agile workplace, enabling people to work in the best place
for the particular task, either in or out of office.
Very clear
job specifications, requirements and a successful induction program are key, as
is a reward structure based on deliverables.
Realistically,
it does mean that there has to be a business model and infrastructure that
supports flexibility, and this can create additional workload for already
stretched management. There are certain
roles that easily lend themselves to agility eg Sales as the results are easily
measured, others are more complex and require mature management.
In
addition, flexibility is a trend in the
workplace but has to obviously adhere to Basic Conditions of Employment
legislation.
When the
term flexibility is used, what does it actually mean? And how are the
parameters defined? This is something of a grey area because it really does
depend on the nature of the business, the specific tasks assigned to that job
portfolio and the market in which that business operates.
For example
a part-time police officer cannot be expected to fulfill the duties of a
fulltime official on the police payroll, especially not in accordance with
fewer resources available and less remuneration but with the same deliverables
expected.
At the same
time an Information and Communication Technology support and service
consultant/ technician cannot enforce terms of employment that guarantee fixed
daily working hours – that criteria simply does not suit the environment.
Ultimately
the level of flexibility has to be negotiated and decided upon by both employer
and employee, with consideration over the parameters already discussed.
The costs
related to permanent desking and travel inform the message that agile workers
are a non negotiable.
How that is
managed from the many different aspects that create effective results,
including the interests of fellow workers, looks like being a significant part of the work world of the
future.
Links,
References and Notes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luhhw-M4ly4&t=7s - Vlog Conversations with Teryl & Cathie
Accsys provides people
management solutions ie Payroll, Human Resources (HR), Time and Attendance as
well as Access Control/Visitor Management.
The company develops,
implements, trains and services our solutions.
We provide readers, turnstiles, booms and CCTV.
We run both on premise and in
the cloud, as well as mobile options for ESS.
Recruitment, online education and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) are
part of our offering, too.
http://www.accsys.co.za/accsys-peopleplace-talent-management
email:
tschroenn@accsys.co.za
twitter:
@TerylSchroenn
Note: Thank you for reading Teryl@Work. Should you wish to use any of the material,
please acknowledge this blog as the source.
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