Managing a Flexible Working Team: Solutions to Supervisors' Top Concerns

We live in an era where just about any product or service can be tailored to fit the different needs and preferences of customers. Similarly, organisations today are doing the same for their employees - personalising flexible work arrangements (FWAs) to suit the needs of their employees based on their life stage. In turn, these employees who feel taken care of and more engaged are also more likely to go the extra mile for the organisation. 

As more of your employees utilise varying FWAs, managing them may become more complex and require some extra effort in reallocating tasks and ensuring adequate coverage across the working week. 

In a TAFEP poll of 95 respondents, these were the top three concerns that supervisors shared about managing employees on FWAs:

#1: "I will not know if employees on FWAs are getting their job done." (37%)

#2: "I am not sure how I can manage equity of workload amongst the team." (35%)

#3: "I am worried that employees may not be immediately accessible." (13%).

_{Results are accurate as of 20 Feb 2019}

Here are some ways to address these common challenges supervisors face:

 #1. "I will not know if employees on FWAs are getting their job done."

When employees are not physically present in the office during the workday, you may be concerned that they may not be using their time as productively as possible.

Firstly, as with any employer-employee relationship, you need to establish an element of trust. 

Next, supervisors should recognise that employee productivity is not solely based on the level of face-time or time spent in office, and should be measured by the individual's work output. Set up a structured system for evaluation and performance management, and mutually agree on key performance indicators and deadlines.

Regular communication is key to successful flexible working, so do ensure that you have sufficient channels of communication and encourage your team to use them frequently. For example, having one platform for daily updates on the progress of projects and immediate business, and another longer, regularly scheduled meeting to go over broader issues, not only keeps you updated and assures you that work gets done, but also instils a sense of accountability in your employees.

#2: "I am not sure how I can manage equity of workload amongst the team."

With employees on different configurations of working hours, it can be difficult to ensure fair work distribution. Here are some ways you can manage this:

a. Formalise flexible work policies 

At times, informal and ad-hoc FWAs may unintentionally result in inconsistencies and inequalities, due to a lack of clearly defined guidelines on usage and expectations. While supervisors may prefer the flexibility in setting up the parameters of such ad-hoc arrangements, this can result in work responsibilities getting passed on to other team members who are not on FWAs.

Formalising flexible work policies sets out clear expectations and requirements, ensuring that other team members are not unfairly impacted when employees are on FWAs, and that organisational goals are still met. 

b. Tap on project management platforms

When employees work different hours and from different locations, it can be difficult for supervisors to keep track of their projects and progress. 

Leverage project management platforms and HR tools for more timely and effective monitoring and collaboration. These platforms can be used to facilitate online team discussions, allocate work, set deadlines, manage tasks, as well as get progress updates on projects. These also enable each team member to have a clear view of a project in its entirety. Team members will also be able to record their progress and contributions, which will be visible to the entire team. This enables supervisors to remotely oversee workloads and progress of individual team members, and make adjustments to ensure fair job allocation if necessary. 

#3: "I am worried that employees may not be immediately accessible."

Employees, whether working onsite or remotely, may not be at their desks throughout the workday. In the case of employees on FWAs, it may be especially unsettling for employers as there is no means for them to seek updates in person. The following measures can help to keep remote working employees connected and contactable:

a. Implement clear guidelines on communications and accessibility

When staying in touch over emails, online chat groups and project management platforms, team members should have in place guidelines that establish mutual agreements on communication matters, such as responses time. Formal regular meetings are also recommended. Teams can schedule weekly or bi-weekly virtual meetings or conference calls with specific agendas to ensure that everyone is one the same page. Such measures also enhance each team member's accountability. 

b. Exercise flexibility and trust

Understand that remote employees, just like employees who are physically in the office, may be away from their desks for bathroom breaks, meals, offsite meetings and more. Such short breaks are inevitable, and you need to trust that your employees will respond within the agreed upon response time. Encourage a culture where team members take the initiative to inform each other about longer "away-from-desk" periods or when they will be offline to work on a task.

Ensuring the long-term success of FWAs 

As FWAs become integrated as part of everyday business practice, it is likely that supervisors will continue to come across new variations of FWA requests. Thus, it is also important to have regular training on how to manage a flexible workforce, so as to reap the long-term benefits of FWAs for your organisation.

When executed well, FWAs help employees manage life's demands and also have a positive impact on the business through reduced costs, increased productivity and ease of management. As a supervisor, you are a key enabler and facilitator of successful work-life implementation for the organisation. By addressing these concerns, you can work towards building a flexible work culture that benefits both your team and the organisation.