Habit #3: Be Flexible

What is Flexibility?

Flexibility is about fostering an environment where everyone can do their best work. That may mean adjustable schedules, remote work, accessibility or other forms of inclusion. Tools designed for recruitment and retention that make employees happy make them more productive, too. The key to positive flexibility is responding to workers’ needs in the way that’s best for them.

Why Is It Important to Productivity?

First and foremost, flexibility allows employees to focus on their work. If you’re worrying about whether you can pick up your child from school, wrangling with the bureaucracy over a name change, struggling to concentrate in a noisy office or facing a draining commute, your attention and energy are inevitably divided. Adapting working conditions to employee needs reduces those distractions.

And that increases quality output. In a survey by International Workplace Group, 85% of private sector businesses worldwide reported that flexible hours and remote work had increased productivity, and 63% credit it with raising productivity by 21% or more.

Also in the private sector, gender, ethnic and cultural diversity correlate to increased profitability and innovation.

Accommodating parents, seniors, disabled workers, women and people from historically under-represented groups helps keep them in the workforce and sharing their skills and experience.

Respecting individuals’ experiences and needs reduces conflict between their jobs and their lives. It builds trust, positivity and commitment — and all of that contributes to greater productivity.

Flexibility > Autonomy > Productivity

Tucker Duval, GovLoop Featured Contributor and Employment Generalist in the Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, Unified Government, says having a say in working conditions and even the scope of their jobs makes people more productive.

“The number one thing that improves work life for me and my team is autonomy,” he said. “It’s increased our ability to recognize opportunities and empowered us to act on them.” That autonomy extends to “expand[ing] beyond the rigid boundaries of the job description to craft our jobs in ways that make more sense to us, as well as to work in settings and styles that are best suited to our individual needs.”

Attaining that autonomy requires the belief that “every individual person is their own expert in what works best for them,” Duval said. “When the organization and leadership trust people to make choices that work best for them, the outcome is higher-quality work and increased productivity.”

How It’s Done

We’ve learned a lot about managing a distributed workforce in the past few years. Telework and flexible scheduling help people meet their obligations while staying productive, and they also allow many disabled, neurodivergent and older employees to work with less stress. Policies should be explicit about what options are available and how to access them. As far as possible, policies should apply to everyone, to avoid the appearance of favoritism.

According to a report from McKinsey, inclusion is essential to making the most of diversity programs. That means a culture that:

• Is fair and transparent about pay, promotion and recruitment
• Demands mutual respect, including addressing bias, bullying and other discrimination directly
• Shows an organizationwide commitment to support the well-being and contributions of all employees

To make a workplace where everyone is comfortable, you’ll need formal disability, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) policies and practices that foster accommodation and belonging. Employee resource groups are a way for employees to support one another — and also a source of policy recommendations.

The right technology is essential to productive flexibility. Choose platforms and applications that promote collaboration among a distributed or hybrid workforce. Make sure remote workers have the same experience as in-office employees, including access to documents and project planning, so that everyone is on the same page.

It’s essential that these tools are accessible by design or compatible with assistive technology. Many employees without an identified disability still benefit from features such as screen magnification or noise-reducing headsets. And don’t forget the low-tech options, such as adjustable chairs, footrests and partitions.

Be open to what employees need. What enhances productivity for one person may inhibit it for another. Make it easy for employees to request accommodations.

Visual Project Planning Made Virtual

There was a time when Bill Brantley kept flipcharts decked out with sticky notes on the walls of his office to organize projects.

“My team could come into my office, look at the charts and know where we were,” said Brantley, GovLoop Featured Contributor and Senior Training Specialist at the U.S. Navy Inspector General Office.“We would joke that they didn’t even have to talk to me. When we went remote, I just went with the virtual version.”

His office uses the planner function in Microsoft Teams, but there are similar options in other collaboration platforms.

“It’s a lot like an electronic Kanban board — very visual,” he said. “Cards” on the board replace the sticky notes.

The shared board lets Brantley’s team keep up with tasks and deadlines, but now they can check in from anywhere at any time. And it helps people get up to speed when they return from time off.

Tips for Productive Flexibility

• Use effective, accessible collaboration tools.
• Make sure the experience of information sharing is the same for in-office and remote workers.
• Have explicit policies about telework and scheduling.
• Promote inclusion, not just diversity.
• Where possible, make options available to everyone.

This article appears in our guide, “The 5 Habits of Highly Productive Agencies.” To learn about the other four habits, download it here:

Photo by Anete Lusina at pexels.com