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Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) have taken the traditional organizational practices by storm and are being dubbed as a “Revolution for the New-age Workplace”. More and more job seekers are choosing employers that promote flexible work arrangements in their organizational setup. As per a survey by Zenefits, 67% of the small businesses in their survey offered some form of FWA. Moreover, out of all the employees’ studies, 73% stated that such arrangements increased their job satisfaction.

While understanding Flexible Work Arrangements, one needs to focus on its various aspects. From being able to work from the desired location, choose the working shift or functioning additional hours on 3 working days as against the 5-day work culture, the traits of FWA majorly disrupt the conventional work culture.

However, like any new trend that comes up, Flexible Work Arrangements carry their own set of pros and cons.

So, below are a myriad of merits and demerits that employers need to grasp before stepping into the realm of Flexible Work Arrangements.

Merits

Cost-effective
As employees are not restricted to the office workspace, organizations can save the transportation and infrastructure costs spent on them. For companies that function on the 24*7 model, FWA can enable better seat utilization of their workspace.

Business Continuity
Organizations that cater to the global market are bound to align their work shifts as per their clients. In cases like these, a platform that promotes FWA can ensure providing round the clock availability to their clients. With a robust system of business continuity, these companies are sure to garner new clients from the global market, thereby increasing their share and turnover.

Increased Productivity
FWA functions on the concept of focussed and measurable results. Employers decide on the results and the timelines that they’re planning to achieve, without restricting the employees to accomplish them in the 9 to 5 timeframe in the office workspace. This practice enhances productivity as employees function as per their ease and convenience, bearing the final result and timeline in mind.

Employee Motivation
A workforce that is given a choice to decide their work arrangements is sure to rank high on motivation. FWA allows the employees to manage their professional needs without compromising on the personal ones. Thereby, enhancing employee engagement and motivation.

Reduced Employee Turnover
In numerous scenarios, companies tend to lose out on skilled and talented employees that aren’t able to focus on their personal life. FWA can prove to be a boon as it allows employees to make a choice in their work shift and the workdays in which they are effectively available. Once they are able to achieve a work-life balance, their loyalty towards the firm tends to increase.

Quicker Results
Employees thriving on a flexible work model tend to be connected for the most part of the day, which goes beyond the 5 pm restriction that traditional workplaces have. This aspect of FWA helps in providing a quick turnaround to client queries and requirements.

Demerits

Difficult to Quantify
Unlike the age-old practices of punching their shift time, FWA doesn’t allow a transparent time tracking system for employers. As it thrives on focussed results and not on the way of attaining them, employees can play around with the time at hand.

Promotes Silos
Though FWA is seen to enhance productivity, it promotes the idea of working in silos and can narrow down the employees’ appetite for client meetings and discussions.

Lack of Human Interaction
It is well known that employees function well in an environment where they have the opportunity to walk up to their manager’s cabin, turn to their neighbor for a light-hearted chit-chat or have a brainstorming session over coffee. Unfortunately, these ways seem to get lost with FWA practices seeping in the industry.

Lack of Supervision
As employees are not in the direct line of sight of their supervisors, FWA can cause performance issues as close monitoring is improbable.

Inapplicable to 100% Workforce
Irrespective of how great the results of FWA prove to be, it cannot be extended to the complete workforce. There can be cases of newly hired resources that need to undergo training, employees in client-facing roles, support functions like IT, HR, etc. who will not be able to avail the benefits of FWA. Partial application of FWA can be a cause of employee dissatisfaction.

Chances of Misuse
Though FWA is sure to enhance employee productivity and motivation, we can’t disregard the fact that employees can also misuse this facility. Employees can distort the focus from professional to personal time.

Now that we’ve got a glimpse of both sides of the coin, it won’t be an exaggeration to say that FWAs are to the workplace, what ‘’Internet’’ was to the world of communication. The success of such arrangements is highly dependent on its users as to how effectively they can plan and implement it.

So ultimately, it’s for the organizations to decide if offering FWAs aligns with their company goals or not. Akin to the internet, if not used with precision and prudence, Flexible Work Arrangements can also do as much harm as good.

In the year 1921, Frigyes Karinthy introduced the theory of six degrees of separation. He explained how the chains of acquaintances can connect you with anyone on the planet using six or fewer connections.

Fortunately enough, social media has shrunk the gap even further and your prospective contact is only a click away.

As a matter of fact, people are scrolling their news feed almost all the time, so why not use it as an opportunity to seize your potential employees?

Here’s some insight on how to make the most of social media to boost recruitment:

Build an image
In order to kick start your recruitment journey through social media, it’s essential to build an image. Posts that speak about the company’s ideologies and practices are sure to create an impact on potential employees. Individuals with a shared set of passion and ideals will eventually merge into the hiring pool aspiring for jobs in the firm.

Adding to that, it is also important to understand that social media is not the place to build a sales pitch but to focus on the big picture of networking people.

Start a conversation
Unlike the recruitment portals that cater only to active job seekers, social media addresses both active and passive job seekers. These platforms are the best place for individuals keen to build communities and companies looking for their culture fit.

Hence, recruiters need to start and maintain running conversations with their audiences.

Work on the content
The biggest advantage of social media is that you can speak on a myriad of topics. Along with posting open job opportunities, companies can engage their followers on multiple subjects – be it world news, discussions trending in the industry, their policies or even employee recognition.

The more active and responsive you are, the better.

Involve employees
It is well known that employees are the biggest ambassadors of a company and getting them involved in social interactions not only creates validation but also enhances the outreach.

Companies should encourage their existing employees to post genuine feedback on social media platforms.

Understand the platform
Social media is a universe in itself and every planet in it has its uniqueness. Companies cannot follow the same tone or medium while posting on different platforms. While a video message from the leader will work well on Facebook, a motivational quote is best placed on Instagram. An article on the company’s performance trends can then follow on LinkedIn.

Unlike the traditional job hunt portals, deploying social media for recruiting will not only address the immediate hiring requirements but will build a talent cloud to use in times to come.

All it takes is an investment of time.

Employees are the biggest asset of any organization. So, it becomes absolutely crucial to take good care of one’s workforce so that they can work dedicatedly, which in turn enhances the reputation of their organization. According to a study by SHRM, finding and training a replacement for an outgoing employee can cost as much as the equivalent of six to nine months of his salary.

With the stakes of an employee leaving so high, it’s time companies started taking proactive measures to boost their employee retention. Below are ten tried and tested tips that companies can follow to ensure their employees stay and thrive:

Emphasize on Hiring the Right Person
Pre-placement interviews enable to understand the adaptability of the talent beforehand. Carry out personality tests to evaluate whether or not a candidate has the right mental and social aptitude to be fit in your organization.

Plan Proper Orientation and Induction
A new employee requires to understand how things work at a new place. Instead of leaving it all upon the employee, organizations should create a well-thought-of plan to align the employee mindset with the work culture. Carrying out induction programs help new employees feel less like an outsider and more like a part of the company that they join.

Take feedback from your employees
Listening to employees and encouraging them to come up with feedback is very important for an organization. Feedbacks makes employees feel that their voice is heard and their opinions matter. But feedback should not be mistaken with criticism. The feedback system should be a two-way road, where both employers and supervisors are transparent with each other.

Upgrade HR Policies
Dynamic employee-centric policies that adapt to the changing trends in the industry must be integrated into the organization. The more rigid and uncompromising the policies are, the more challenges your company will face in retaining employees.

Appreciate Your staff
Everyone loves a pat on their back every now and then. Getting appreciated, be it from their supervisors or co-workers, offers a stimulating boost of self-confidence. This, in turn, makes employees loyal towards their organization and improved retention.

Have a growth plan for employees
Your employees will work efficiently if they are shown a clear path that leads to both professional and organizational success. It’s human nature to want to stay in an organization which cares about their individual growth and development.

Lively working environment
For any organization to improve employee retention, creating a healthy and fun work environment should be the priority. Google is one such perfect example, which was ranked by Glassdoor in 2019 as one of the best companies offering a healthy work environment. So, make sure to include energy-boosting and engaging activities like tournaments, brainstorming sessions, and outdoor trips. Such activities provide a reprieve and improve their productivity, in turn boosting employee retention.

Maintain Transparency and Trust
It is important that organizations remain transparent with their employees and ensure clarity regarding their performance and the expectations from them. It’s equally imperative to cultivate team spirit to strengthen interpersonal relationships and create a social framework that makes it hard to quit the company.

Develop a standard training system
Training is the core activity that prepares employees as per their organization’s needs and ensures they work efficiently. So, develop an effective training regime with a properly planned structure that propels employees in the right direction, It will help you to ensure that they work in a manner that aligns with the company’s goals.

From the above steps, it becomes abundantly clear that with the right methods, companies can not only retain their employees but even help them grow. Making employees feel valued, providing regular feedback, enabling work-life balance and offering growth opportunities. can go a long way in retaining employees and creating a productive work culture.