Trends in flexible workspace and working

Human Resource professionals are tasked with attraction, retention and motivation of the modern workforce. However, facilities management now plays a leading role in providing the right environment to support these traditional HR policies both in the workplace and at home. A modern workforce does not want to be a slave to the old fashioned employment contracts that places a high emphasis on the place of work and the contracted hours. Employees no longer follow the sun in their working pattern and rarely comply with the traditional nine to five concept.

Flexible working is being driven by employers who want to reduce costs on space allocation and improve the work/life balance of their staff. With potential savings of up to £16,000 per annum for each workstation, the benefits are clear. Flexible workspace and working has the opportunities made available by advances in technology and changes in management. Work can increasingly be undertaken in a variety of locations and in a variety of ways.

In general terms, flexible working is more interactive, more people-oriented, and is better able to deal with an exchange of information. It recognises that the work process is dynamic and not something that fits efficiently into the static model of a traditional office.

The first big result of this is that, in spite of providing more support and ancillary spaces, the overall space budget can be reduced by anything up to ten percent – which is not to be under-estimated.

There is a second benefit, in viewing the working environment as an essentially dynamic resource. This is the way it alters the work process, changing it from something that operates in an essentially pre-determined manner to a much more interactive, effective and beneficial working environment. Reducing on overheads by saving on space is a powerful incentive to any facilities manager. Far more powerful should be the incentive of increasing worker productivity.

So the real incentive for considering the concept of flexible working should be in discovering what it can do for the organisation. But herein lies the problem. By definition it implies that it should involve all parts of the organisation – an idea that is easier to articulate than carry out. Thus, to recap the real benefits of flexible working, implementation is everything – a step-by-step process that takes time and commitment at all levels, and above all has senior management buy-in – commodities that are usually in short supply, or at least not normally within the control of the facilities manager.

This does not mean that flexible working is something that can be left to its own devices. Like a ‘natural’ garden, it needs to be carefully planned, tended and lovingly managed, to then thrive as it best knows how. Care must be taken not to ignore the psychological implications of flexible working. Research carried out by the University of the West of England in 2004 found that some employees expressed concerns about becoming isolated by the lack of personal interaction with colleagues and managers. They also felt that low visibility might affect their job promotion prospects. Therefore, the role of a social hub for flexible workers is vital.

If businesses are yet to be convinced, a 2007 CBI/AXA report on absence and labour turnover stated that flexible working plays an important role in reducing absence. Employers believe that around 12 percent of absences are suspect and involve staff ‘pulling a sickie’. That means that 21 million working days were lost in 2008 at a cost of £1.6bn to the economy.

So maybe it’s time to take a serious look at flexible workplaces and working if you really want to save money, but more importantly recruit, retain and motivate your most important asset – your employees.


Ian R Fielder CEO, British Institute of Facilities Management
For more information contact Jessica Beaven; Tel: 0845 058 1356, email Jessica.Beaven@bifm.org.uk or visit their website at bifm.org.uk