Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many organizations to adopt remote work practices almost overnight. Surprisingly, this sudden shift revealed that productivity often improved when employees worked from home, challenging long-held beliefs about what workers need to thrive. As we move beyond the pandemic, many companies are looking to make flexible work arrangements a permanent feature of their operations. But how can leaders effectively implement these strategies and transform their organizations to reap the benefits of this new way of working?
In "How the Future Works," Brian Elliott presents a comprehensive framework for implementing flexible work policies that give employees choice in when and how they work. This approach isn't about giving workers total freedom or removing accountability. Instead, it's about finding the right balance between autonomy and company guidelines to optimize individual performance while accommodating both personal and professional needs.
This book summary will guide you through Elliott's seven-step framework for implementing a successful flexible work strategy in your organization. By following these steps, you can help your company transition into the new era of work, attracting and retaining top talent while boosting productivity and employee satisfaction.
Step 1: Identify Guiding Principles for Your Flexible Work Strategy
The first step in implementing an effective flexible work strategy is to identify the principles that will guide your approach. This is crucial because a one-size-fits-all policy imposed from the top down is likely to fail, as demonstrated by Apple's experience when CEO Tim Cook announced a rigid return-to-office plan in June 2021.
Instead of focusing on specific rules, like mandating certain days in the office, leaders should start by identifying the "why" behind their flexible work initiative. Ask yourself: Are you implementing this strategy to attract or retain talent? To become more agile? To shift from a physical to a digital headquarters? Your answer will form the basis of your core principles.
Once you've clarified your "why," develop three to five principles that outline the mindset leaders and managers need to adopt to support this organizational change. These principles should be broad enough to allow for flexibility but specific enough to provide guidance.
For example, the Royal Bank of Canada included a principle stating that proximity is still important. This acknowledges the value of bringing employees together regularly without dictating exactly how often this should happen. By avoiding specific tactical targets, managers have the flexibility to negotiate with their teams in a way that supports both individual and team outputs.
When crafting your principles, consider the following:
- Keep them broad and adaptable
- Focus on the desired mindset rather than specific rules
- Ensure they align with your organization's overall goals and culture
- Make them easy to understand and communicate
By establishing clear guiding principles, you create a foundation for your flexible work strategy that can be adapted to different teams and situations within your organization.
Step 2: Establish Guardrails to Create Behavioral Expectations
Once you've identified your guiding principles, the next step is to establish guardrails that create clear behavioral expectations for everyone in the organization, including senior executives. These guardrails help ensure that your flexible work policy is implemented meaningfully and consistently across the company.
One of the main purposes of these guardrails is to protect career progression from being negatively impacted by flexible work arrangements. Research has shown that employees who work from home are significantly less likely to be promoted, even if their performance is equal to or better than their in-office colleagues. To address this issue, it's essential to create a level playing field for all employees, regardless of their work location.
Here are some key strategies for establishing effective guardrails:
Listen to employee concerns: Pay attention to the issues raised by your workforce, such as feeling less visible when participating in video conferences remotely.
Implement rules that promote equality: For example, you might require all participants to join video conferences individually, even if some are in the office together. This ensures equal visibility for everyone.
Ensure leadership models the desired behavior: Make sure your executives and managers are following the flexible work principles and honoring the guardrails. This sets the tone for the entire organization.
Create specific guardrails for executives: Consider implementing rules specifically for senior leadership, like limiting their in-office time or in-person meetings. This sends a clear message that flexible work is the new norm for everyone.
Address potential biases: Develop guidelines to prevent unconscious biases against remote workers in performance evaluations and promotion decisions.
Establish communication norms: Create expectations around response times, availability, and the use of different communication channels.
Define boundaries between work and personal time: Help employees maintain a healthy work-life balance by setting guidelines for after-hours communication and expectations for availability.
By implementing these guardrails, you create a framework that supports your flexible work principles and ensures that all employees can thrive in the new work environment, regardless of their location or work arrangement.
Step 3: Develop Team-Level Work Practices Plans
Recognizing that different teams and individuals have unique needs, the third step in implementing a successful flexible work strategy is to empower each team to develop its own work practices plan. This approach allows for customization while still adhering to the company-wide principles and guardrails established in the previous steps.
The key to this step is creating a Team-level Agreement (TLA). This document serves as a framework that allows team members to put the company's flexible work principles into practice in a way that suits their specific needs and work requirements. Here's how to develop effective TLAs:
Involve the entire team: Encourage all team members to participate in creating the TLA, ensuring that everyone's voice is heard and their needs are considered.
Identify team-specific needs: Discuss the unique requirements of your team's work, such as collaboration needs, client interactions, or project deadlines.
Establish core collaboration hours: Agree on a block of 3-4 hours each workday when all team members will be available online for meetings and real-time collaboration.
Define communication norms: Decide on preferred communication channels for different types of interactions and set expectations for response times.
Address individual preferences: Consider the diverse needs of team members, including introverts who may need quiet time and extroverts who thrive on interaction.
Plan for in-person meetings: Determine how often the team needs to meet face-to-face and for what purposes.
Set guidelines for flexible schedules: Establish parameters for when and how team members can adjust their work hours while ensuring coverage of essential functions.
Create a system for tracking progress: Develop a method for keeping everyone informed about project status and individual contributions, regardless of work location.
Plan for regular reviews: Schedule periodic check-ins to assess the effectiveness of the TLA and make adjustments as needed.
Align with company principles: Ensure that the TLA adheres to the overall company principles and guardrails while addressing team-specific needs.
By creating these Team-level Agreements, you provide a structure that allows for flexibility while maintaining accountability and ensuring that work gets done effectively. This approach recognizes that one size doesn't fit all and empowers teams to find the best way to work together in a flexible environment.
Step 4: Normalize Continuous Learning
Implementing a flexible work strategy is a journey that requires ongoing adaptation and learning. To ensure success, it's crucial to create a culture of continuous improvement and experimentation. This fourth step focuses on establishing processes and structures that support ongoing learning and refinement of your flexible work practices.
Here are key strategies to normalize continuous learning in your organization:
Create a diverse task force: Assemble a group of employees from different departments, levels, and backgrounds to serve as knowledge gatherers and flexible work advocates.
Empower the task force: Give this group the authority to test new ways of working and tools, and to provide feedback on their effectiveness.
Encourage experimentation: Foster a culture where trying new approaches is valued, even if they don't always succeed. Emphasize that failure is an opportunity to learn and improve.
Collect and analyze data: Regularly gather information on how flexible work practices are impacting productivity, employee satisfaction, and other key metrics.
Seek regular feedback: Implement systems for collecting ongoing feedback from employees about their experiences with flexible work arrangements.
Share learnings across the organization: Create channels for disseminating insights and best practices discovered by different teams or the task force.
Invest in training: Provide ongoing training and resources to help employees and managers develop the skills needed to thrive in a flexible work environment.
Celebrate successes: Recognize and share stories of teams or individuals who have successfully adapted to or innovated within the flexible work model.
Address challenges openly: Create forums where employees can discuss difficulties they're experiencing and collaboratively find solutions.
Involve leadership: Ensure that senior managers dedicate time to participating in and supporting the continuous learning process.
By normalizing continuous learning, you create an environment where your flexible work strategy can evolve and improve over time. This approach helps your organization stay agile and responsive to changing needs and circumstances, ensuring that your flexible work practices remain effective and beneficial for both employees and the company as a whole.
Step 5: Enable Meaningful Digital Connection
In a flexible work environment, fostering connection among employees becomes both more challenging and more crucial. Contrary to some executives' fears, research has shown that employee connection can actually increase in remote work settings. The key is to invest in the right digital tools and create intentional opportunities for connection.
Here are strategies to enable meaningful digital connection in your organization:
Prioritize digital communication channels: Make digital platforms the primary location for important communications, including company announcements, vision statements, and newsletters.
Create digital homes for teams and projects: Establish dedicated online spaces where team members can collaborate, share resources, and access important information.
Implement robust collaboration tools: Invest in user-friendly platforms that facilitate real-time collaboration, document sharing, and project management.
Foster digital social spaces: Set up channels or forums where employees can share personal interests, hobbies, or photos, helping to build community beyond work-related interactions.
Establish online employee resource groups: Create digital spaces for communities within your organization, such as LGBTQIA+ groups, cultural associations, or interest-based clubs.
Host virtual events: Organize online social gatherings, team-building activities, or company-wide celebrations to bring people together virtually.
Encourage video communication: When appropriate, promote the use of video calls to help maintain face-to-face connections.
Implement digital mentoring programs: Use technology to facilitate mentorship relationships across geographical boundaries.
Create a digital water cooler: Set up casual chat channels or virtual break rooms where employees can have informal conversations.
Leverage asynchronous communication: Utilize tools that allow for meaningful interaction even when team members are working at different times.
Provide training on digital tools: Ensure all employees are comfortable and proficient with the digital platforms used for connection and collaboration.
Rethink physical spaces: Consider how your office spaces can be redesigned to complement and enhance digital connection when employees do come together in person.
By focusing on enabling meaningful digital connection, you can create a sense of community and belonging among your employees, regardless of their physical location. This not only supports the success of your flexible work strategy but can also lead to increased creativity, collaboration, and employee satisfaction.
Step 6: Upskill Your Managers for the New Workplace
The transition to a flexible work environment requires a significant shift in management style. Traditional "gatekeeper" managers who focused on monitoring hours worked and physical presence are no longer effective in this new landscape. Instead, managers need to evolve into empathetic coaches who can lead, support, and develop their teams remotely.
Here's how to upskill your managers for the new flexible workplace:
Redefine the manager's role: Help managers understand their new responsibilities as coaches and facilitators rather than supervisors.
Focus on trust-building: Train managers to foster trust through transparency about team goals, expectations, and performance indicators.
Emphasize clarity: Teach managers how to clearly communicate individual roles and responsibilities, ensuring each team member understands their contribution to overall goals.
Develop coaching skills: Invest in coaching training for all managers, focusing on how to unlock each employee's potential.
Implement a feedback system: Create a structure for managers to receive regular feedback, such as pairing them with accountability partners.
Promote empathy: Train managers to understand and respond to the diverse needs and circumstances of their team members.
Teach remote team management: Provide specific training on how to lead and motivate teams in a virtual or hybrid environment.
Focus on outcomes: Help managers shift from monitoring activity to evaluating results and impact.
Enhance communication skills: Develop managers' abilities to communicate effectively across various digital platforms.
Address bias awareness: Train managers to recognize and mitigate potential biases against remote workers.
Encourage work-life balance: Teach managers how to model and promote healthy boundaries between work and personal life.
Celebrate managerial successes: Recognize and reward managers who excel in the new flexible work environment to reinforce the importance of this new leadership style.
By investing in upskilling your managers, you ensure that they have the tools and knowledge needed to lead effectively in a flexible work environment. This not only supports the success of your flexible work strategy but also helps create a more engaged, productive, and satisfied workforce.
Step 7: Change How You Evaluate Success
The final step in implementing a successful flexible work strategy is to revise how you measure and evaluate success. Traditional metrics based on hours worked or physical presence in the office are no longer relevant or effective in a flexible work environment. Instead, organizations need to shift their focus to outcomes and impact.
Here's how to change your approach to evaluating success:
Identify meaningful outcomes: Work with teams to determine what results truly matter for their specific roles and projects.
Focus on quality over quantity: Move away from activity-based metrics (like number of calls made) to quality-based metrics (like client satisfaction or problem resolution rates).
Set clear expectations: Ensure that all team members understand what success looks like in their role and how it will be measured.
Implement outcome-based KPIs: Develop key performance indicators that focus on results rather than activities.
Consider employee experience: Include metrics that measure employee satisfaction, engagement, and well-being as part of your evaluation of success.
Use digital tools for progress tracking: Implement systems that allow team members to communicate work progress and status updates transparently.
Establish regular check-ins: Schedule frequent one-on-one meetings between managers and team members to discuss progress, challenges, and goals.
Encourage self-evaluation: Teach employees to assess their own performance based on outcomes and impact.
Provide ongoing feedback: Move away from annual reviews to more frequent, informal feedback sessions.
Align individual goals with company objectives: Ensure that the outcomes you're measuring contribute to overall organizational success.
Be flexible and adaptable: Recognize that what constitutes success may change over time, and be willing to adjust your metrics accordingly.
Address bias in performance evaluations: Implement systems to ensure that remote or flexible workers are not disadvantaged in performance reviews.
By changing how you evaluate success, you create a system that truly values the contributions of your employees, regardless of when or where they work. This approach not only supports your flexible work strategy but can also lead to increased motivation, job satisfaction, and overall organizational performance.
Final Thoughts: Embracing the Future of Work
As we've explored throughout this summary, successfully transitioning to flexible work practices requires careful planning, effective change management, and a significant shift in mindset. By following the seven steps outlined in "How the Future Works," organizations can create a work environment that not only accommodates flexibility but thrives on it.
Implementing a flexible work strategy offers numerous benefits beyond just improving work-life balance for employees. It can help your company:
- Attract and retain top talent by offering the flexibility that many workers now expect
- Increase productivity by allowing employees to work when and where they're most effective
- Reduce overhead costs associated with maintaining large office spaces
- Tap into a wider talent pool by removing geographical constraints
- Improve employee satisfaction and engagement
- Enhance diversity and inclusion by accommodating various needs and circumstances
- Boost innovation by allowing for diverse perspectives and work styles
Perhaps most importantly, adopting flexible work practices acknowledges the humanity of your workforce. It recognizes that each employee has unique needs, circumstances, and preferences. By honoring these individual differences, you create an opportunity for deeper connection and engagement with your team members.
As you embark on this journey towards a more flexible work environment, remember that it's an ongoing process of learning and adaptation. Be prepared to experiment, gather feedback, and make adjustments along the way. Encourage open communication throughout your organization and celebrate the successes, both big and small, that come with this transformation.
The future of work is not about choosing between remote and in-office, or between flexibility and structure. It's about finding the right balance that allows your organization and its people to thrive. By embracing flexible work strategies, you're not just adapting to a trend – you're positioning your company to succeed in the evolving landscape of work.
As you implement these changes, keep in mind that the goal is to create a work environment where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to do their best work. When you achieve this, you'll find that the benefits extend far beyond increased productivity or cost savings. You'll be building a resilient, adaptable organization that's ready to face whatever challenges the future may bring.
The journey to flexible work may not always be easy, but with the right approach and mindset, it can lead to a more dynamic, inclusive, and successful organization. So, embrace the change, trust in your people, and step confidently into the future of work.