It may have taken a while but I’m back with the second post in this series on things that I have learnt about in relation to my career development. This one is on flexibility within the working world and, in relation to the efforts being made on diversity and inclusion, why flexible work should be accessible and guaranteed for all who require it, whatever age, gender, ethnicity, ability or life-stage one is.
As Mary Portas points out in her brilliant book Work Like A Woman (which I recommend everyone reads), ‘some 7.3 million British workers are working flexibly’ but ‘12 per cent of positions {...] are advertised as’ jobs where one is allowed to be agile. You can’t get agility unless you’ve worked for it, whether professionally or personally. Although this is somewhat understandable, making it a priority for all aligns with making work cultures more inclusive.
Definitions
Mine
Flexible/Agile Work – the name given to ANY type of work pattern which is different from the existing, traditional one and is a way that suits an employee’s needs. It is not just to do with time and location, it also includes behaviour, technology, people and emotion.
Others
‘In a flexible working arrangement, an employee has some say over how, where or when they work. Whether this involves working from home, working part-time, job sharing or having another kind of flexitime arrangement, generally workers benefit from an element of freedom to define a working arrangement that supports their lifestyle.’ (Why Now’s the Time to Embrace Flexible Working, Holly O'Mahony, The Guardian Jobs, 31 January 2017)
‘What we need instead, [sociologist Professor Phyllis] Moen believes, are flexible career templates that could accommodate a broader range of options.’ (Mishal Husain, Balance chapter from The Skills: From First Job to Dream Job, 2018)
‘Having the freedom to define how they can maximise the value they can add to an organisation on their terms.’ (Helen Tupper, Amazing If Squiggly Careers podcast episode 24 How to Work Flexibly, 3 April 2018)
‘Flex is a creative, rebellious, badass way to live, because it means looking at routines like the nine-to-five, and social norms like women bearing the brunt of the emotional load at home, and bending and reshaping them. When you flex, you invent your own template according to your own ambitions and your [...] needs, often without precedent on a truly blank slate.’ (Annie Auerbach, Flex: The Modern Women’s Handbook, 2019)
My Opinions
I connect flexible/agile working with disability and neurodiversity when thinking about my own future career path. To quote Portas again, ‘the work culture we should be building is one that will allow us to be ourselves’ and I am currently worried that I would not fit into the working world without some sort of flexibility. Though it is more likely that smaller organisations are willing to change culturally than the bigger global ones are, it still irritates me that you mostly have to be quite well advanced in a role before gaining any agility to your work pattern unless you are freelance or an entrepreneur. More entry level positions need to include the guarantee of flexible working so that more talent is acquired.
Creating Flexibility and Agility at Work
There are no perfect answers to doing the right flexible work – it is all about one’s own experience and what type of agility works best for each individual. Like all things, it is a case of trial and error. However which way you work, you have to be committed to knowing clearly and concisely why you want to work flexibly – the reasons behind wanting to work in the way you want to.
It is also worth remembering that, as with any form of communicated relationship, the one of employee and employer is symbiotic and two-way. There is power on both sides and both can become agile if wanted. Yet, we still assume the traditional power imbalance of bosses and leaders rather than seeing each other as co-workers who want to help their company be the best. We need to start believing in the latter.
Questions to Ask When Thinking About Flexible Work
How can flexible working be made a priority for everyone?
In what ways could flexible work be implemented in recruitment and retention?
What ‘flavour’ (type) of flexible work works for you?
Do you feel that there is trust between you and your employer/employee?
In what ways can organisations make flexible/agile work accessible for young people?
I hope this post has given you some food for thought on how flexible working should be something that is accessible to all and how we can begin to change the culture of our working world. I’ve really enjoyed learning about this topic myself and thinking about how it will/does affect me. Let me know in the comments what you think!
Beth x