Helping Managers Increase Workplace Flexibility

We recently had the opportunity to tap into the flexibility wisdom of Maria Ferris, Principal of Maria S. Ferris Consulting, LLC. Maria recently retired from her position as Director of Global Diversity for IBM, where she had overall responsibility for IBM’s Global Workforce Diversity, Equal Opportunity, and Work/life Programs. With over 70% of IBM managers now managing remote workers, she has seen first-hand the challenges an organization faces in adapting to workplace flexibility. Maria shared with us her insight on this topic as well as six specific tips for managers and leaders to capitalize on flexibility.

A great place for an organization to start is acknowledging managers’ concerns about increased flexibility which, Maria says, are understandable when managers are used to having their teams work in the same place, at the same time. However, these concerns can be addressed through proper training and planning. “In my experience, companies who have developed and offered management training on work/life & flexible work arrangements have been more successful in implementing programs than those who haven’t. By providing management training, you can ensure the leadership is on the same page.” A common area of concern for managers is loss of control. Maria referred to the example of a manager fearing that if they let one employee work flexibly, they will need to let all of their employees have the same flexibility. “That’s not the case – as a manager, you need to review each request individually. Not every employee wants the same flexibility and clearly not every job can support the same level of flexibility,” Maria says. “ One size does not fit all when it comes to flexibility and managers will need to treat their employees equitably – which doesn’t necessarily mean the same.”

Managing differently is part of the key to finding success with increased flexibility. “Managing employees who telecommute or work other flexible arrangements does require a different way of managing. Managers need to reassess how they assign and plan work, schedule meetings and evaluate performance. Since you may not be able to ‘see’ the employee working, the focus needs to shift to results. It’s important to clearly define the expectations or results you expect of your employee. By doing so, where and how work gets done becomes less important than the results achieved. At IBM, approximately 40% of the global workforce no longer comes into a traditional office. They are working at home, travelling or at customer locations, [which] requires managers to focus on how they communicate with their teams and how they interact with employees.” To that end, Maria encourages maximizing the use of technology, enhancing written communications, and scheduling regular one-on-one meetings with employees who work from home.

One of the biggest challenges, Maria believes, is getting managers to change their thinking about flexibility as an “accommodation” and instead help them realize that it is a critical tool to manage their business. “In 1996, IBM employees indicated the ability to balance work & personal life was the second most important factor in their decision to potentially leave IBM. Sharing that data with managers provided a business context for flexibility. Once they realized flexibility could help them retain key talent they became stronger supporters.”

“Managers should view flexibility as another tool in their ‘management tool kit’ which enables them to get work done.”. When Maria conducted a global survey at IBM she found that employees who work from home actually work longer hours than employees who come into a traditional office.

Educating managers on the business case for greater flexibility is key to success, according to Maria. “[Flexibility is] no longer a ‘nice thing to do’ for employees – it’s now a critical way to get work done. Considering the global environment many companies compete in, work never stops. The global economy continues 24x 7 and we must rely on flexibility to get work done. When working with global colleagues, it’s not unusual to have conference calls early in the morning and late at night. We certainly can’t expect employees to work round the clock, and flexibility provides the ability to meet business needs while at the same time recognizing we all have a personal life.”

Maria had six specific tips for managers and leaders to capitalize on workplace flexibility:

1. Promote flexibility in what, when, and where work gets done.
2. Communicate and discuss the available options with your team.
3. Personally use flexibility options - set the tone and walk the talk!
4. Focus on results not "face-time."
5. Support your employees in meeting their personal needs while meeting the needs of the business.
6. Remember, one size does not fit all - be willing to consider individual needs, however saying yes to one employee does not imply saying yes to all employees

Our thanks to Maria for sharing her expertise and wisdom! She can be reached at MariaSFerrisLLC@nc.rr.com. If you have stories about how your organization has helped your managers increase workplace flexibility, we'd love to hear them!