From the top down
Getting flexible working right ultimately comes down to culture, which must be set from the top and then imparted throughout the organisation. Encourage openness and transparency in any discussion, from mental wellbeing to taking time off.
Just as you might have Mental Health First Aiders to advocate wellbeing in the workplace, you could appoint a core team of hybrid working officers, defined as the points of contact for your people to go to if something isn’t quite working or if further adjustments need to be considered.
By making it easier and less daunting to talk, you’ll be able to get to the heart of what your team is really thinking, how effectively people are working in different environments and what their outlook is for the future of your organisation.
The best organisations have values and promises that provide a framework in which their organisational culture can evolve; and this has never been so important than at the present moment, when guidance around working is so quick to shift.
A great place to work
Allowing your people to flourish with the right support
A workplace where people thrive and do the best that they can do looks very different today than it did even a year ago. Your people will likely require:
- Flexibility to allow for hybrid working
- Mentorship from team leaders
- Counselling and support from qualified third parties
- Robust technology infrastructure, to support hybrid working and split teams
- Access to private medical care, given NHS waiting times
Self-help tools to improve physical and mental health and wellbeing - Social incentives to encourage rebonding and integrate lockdown recruits
