Building flexible & supportive work environments
Leveraging our proprietary framework, the Categories of Inclusion, Aleria measures inclusion at organizations by looking at the unique experiences of exclusion of employees. The data we collect tells a powerful story. This post is part of a series where we touch on each of the Categories of Inclusion, sharing the trends we see in the data and how to enact change. Check out our previous post on recognition here.
Flexibility and work-life balance are increasingly important factors in making employees feel included, and have become top priorities in decisions about staying in current organizations or looking for other opportunities. Employees are not just people churning out work, but rather unique individuals each with their own sets of ideals, values, responsibilities and more outside of their day to day tasks. They want to work in organizations that can support them to do their best work in the ways that are best for them. And organizations can only benefit from prioritizing this element of inclusion.
In fact, recent research shows that 76% of employees globally want flexibility in where they work and 93% want flexibility in when they work. With it being clear that remote work does not significantly negatively impact productivity, employees are realizing a higher sense of ownership over how they work. It’s no longer seen as just a perk. The latest State of Remote Work report from Buffer found that nearly 98% of people would like to work remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their career. When digging into the perceived benefits of remote work, respondents cited the ability to have a flexible schedule and location as well as not having to commute and spending more time with family.
In our work, measuring inclusion within the workplace, we receive many experiences related to work-life balance that are causing people to feel excluded, dissatisfied and generally frustrated in their role. When looking at the collective data from our entire range of client organizations, 25% of participating employees shared at least one experience tied to work-life balance. Additionally, 12% of all experiences of exclusion were linked to work-life balance.
Some of the types of experiences we hear include:
- Not having one’s needs taken into account when scheduling meetings
- Salaried employees being expected to be on call at any time
- Caregivers dealing with burnout and productivity issues
- Having difficulty tending to medical concerns during typical work hours
- Being expected to work and respond to messages after hours and on weekends
- Having flex options not equitably available to all employees
When looking at who is causing experiences of exclusion that relate to work-life balance, we see the following:
As we often find with every Category of Inclusion, experiences of exclusion tied to work-life balance are attributed primarily to Leadership (53%) and Direct Managers (36%). Interestingly, Peers are cited as the source of exclusion on almost one-third of all cards. This underscores the fact that, while leaders and managers have the greatest impact, each of us can contribute to creating a more inclusive workplace.
Supporting flexible working arrangements that allow employees to thrive in all aspects of their lives is an important part of an inclusive work environment. Below are a few tips for how you can do this.
Translate words to tangible and accessible action
Don’t just say you support flexibility for your team members. Provide an official policy in writing to ensure employees are comfortable and clear in using it. Document flex policies so employees know what’s allowed and what they can take advantage of without feeling they’re doing something that may be judged. Train managers in communicating the policy and checking in with folks that may be able to benefit from it.
Include aspects of wellness and mental health in the review process
Consider including wellness in the employee review process. Ask for their feedback on whether or not they feel taken care of and what they may need. In the last year and a half, mental health, burnout and wellbeing issues have ranked particularly high on challenges faced by employees. Include these topics in feedback and review processes so employees can share what their needs are that you may not be aware of. This will not only help employees feel that you care for them as people, but also give you the information you need to make adjustments to flex-related policies and support systems where relevant.
Understand the link with communication norms
It’s not really surprising that so many of us are used to feeling “always on” or like we need to respond to something the moment we get it. Not only does this impact opportunities for deep work time, it has a significant impact on work-life balance. Additionally, with an increase in async and hybrid team settings, clear communication is key. Establish guidelines that can reduce this issue keeping in mind clarity, expectation-setting and respect for different schedules. This could be simple things like adding expected response time in email subject lines or including “urgent” where relevant. For those who use Slack, the platform has a helpful message scheduling function as well.
Consider flexibility for employees at all life stages
We’ve seen experiences of exclusion related to work-life balance from all stages of life. Whether a caregiver feels stretched too thin, or an employee without children feels they’re expected to do more just because they don’t have kids. These experiences can result in feelings of certain folks being prioritized over others and could build resentment among groups towards each other. Think of how flex policies impact people at any stage and develop policies that allow everyone to take advantage of flexibility.
Supporting employees as people living full lives within and outside of their jobs is an important element of an inclusive work environment. Organizations can ensure happier and more productive teams by prioritizing flexibility and work-life balance for all.
Wondering where your team members may be looking for more work-life balance? Get in touch to learn about Aleria’s Inclusion Assessments.
