Embracing change: how to manage post-pandemic flexible working policies

Adapting to change

Yes, the business case will form a large part of your decision-making. But it should not be the sole factor. Remember, if your business has changed since March 2020, it's likely the lives of your employees have too.

Have employees moved to a different area? Are their childcare arrangements different? Do they still own a car?

The goose and gander may have very different definitions of what is 'good' at this time.

HR departments have been challenged like never before in the past year and a half and this period shapes as the tricky landing in finding our own ways of living 'normally' in the world around us.

If you've figured out how to stay connected when working remotely, perhaps you don't see yourself as an employer changing your flexible working arrangement as it stands.

But be mindful. As much as some workers have embraced their home office, others may be determined to get back into the workplace — where some sorely missed human contact, a sharpened focus on work tasks and a sense of 'moving on' are all available.

Flexibility is not a one-way street, and neither should your lines of communication be.

Communicating the difference

No matter what decisions are taken, adapting to change requires effective communication with the workforce. This includes explaining decisions, recognizing feedback, and mapping out what the flexible or work from home policy will look like.

With the ability to make long-term decisions for the first time in over a year, now may be the time to hone your strategy with help from an internal communications agency.

Clear communications can unlock the benefits to working from home for employers and employees alike, giving you greater flexibility as an employer in future decisions.

• Remember the big picture: If your employees have been with you throughout the pandemic, they have a) been through a lot, and b) been through it all with you. That loyalty has hopefully strengthened on both sides and improves your ability to reach mutually beneficial outcomes.
• Communicate trust: Pre-pandemic, many organizations may have viewed home working with suspicion. Now, studies have shown that productivity may actually go up in a home office. Trust your workers to do right by you and don't use comms as an excuse to pry.
• Embrace a schedule: Monthly performance reviews, weekly coffee breaks over a video call, virtual team activities. Maintaining a rhythm of online communications is key if your workforce remains disparate.
• Be explicit: Clarity is vital at all times, but especially when the end of a video call takes you and your employee completely out of the same sphere. Set clear and realistic expectations of your workforce and always follow up with feedback.

What Gallagher can do to help

As experienced change management consultants, we hold long-standing experience in helping organizations embrace and adapt to change that goes way beyond the pandemic.

However, with the very fundaments of so many of our lives having been shaken over those past 490 days, 70 weeks, or 16 months, communications now require strategic consideration like never before.

For more information on how our internal communications consultants can bring about lasting business transformation in these times, don't hesitate to contact us today.

Help us to understand your needs and requirements, and we will be in touch to help guide you towards a fairer and more fruitful future.