Four Ways Flexibility Can Boost Productivity and Engagement
It is that favorite time of year for many of us in global mobility. And by that I don’t mean the holidays. HR executives we work with are nose-down in budgeting and projecting mobility needs for 2025, and for many, that is translating to this:
While perhaps 2025 won’t be a “do more with less” year, certainly for many, next year will demand them to do more with the same.
As Worldwide ERC recently shared, an EY study found that two-thirds of employers are expecting the scope of their mobility functions to grow without major growth in headcount. “These factors require a new cost-capability calculus in how the function operates,” EY’s researchers predict.
While that may sound daunting, HR leaders willing to flex old-school mobility models stand to cost-effectively boost productivity and transferee engagement. In fact, the same EY study that found that nearly all respondents (97%) are looking to manage costs more effectively in the coming year, also found that flexibility is a key driver in achieving better mobility outcomes.
How can you incorporate greater flexibility into your mobility policies? Here are a few places to start.
Flexible Workplaces.
It’s been called the Great Resistance. Many employers, including some of CapRelo’s largest clients, are requiring a return to the office, but it’s a policy change that some employees are simply refusing or ignoring. We have other clients who are expecting employees to work in the office two days per week. Still others see no need to change their fully remote operations.
There clearly is no universal answer. Some of our clients are making a RTO move to improve culture and connection. Others want to maximize the significant investments they’ve made in office space and real estate. Still others simply have no alternative; retail is a good example.
Regardless of the direction your organization takes, there are some things you can do to smooth the transition.
- Be transparent about the reasons for the workplace policy. While they may not like it, your employees are more likely to respect the decision if they understand it.
- Be protective of employees’ time. Whether on Zoom or in-person, no one likes time wasted in rambling, unproductive meetings.
- Be creative in addressing work-life balance needs. “Losing (remote work) benefits may be disempowering and bring about added stress, which can lead to lower performance and worse mental and physical health,” says the Society for Human Resource Management. “Employers will do more harm than good not to recognize and plan for those factors.”
Flexible schedules.
Second only to where they work, when employees work is perhaps the biggest driver in supporting work-life balance and achieving greater employee satisfaction. Particularly for companies requiring a full-time return to the office, providing flexibility in scheduling can go a long toward offsetting employee resistance. “If we aren’t looking at different ways of working for segments of our population, we are going to lose key people,” says Walmart Canada Corp. Global Mobility Manager Michelle Williams, in a recent CapRelo webinar.
If you haven’t already, make 2025 the year that your organization embraces a new definition of what work schedules look like.
Some flexible options that will delight your employees might be:
- Extended time off. These leaves of absence can be especially beneficial for employees caring for aging or ill parents or children. Companies are also expanding leaves of absence to parents adopting children.
- Part-time schedules, and job-sharing alternatives.
- Broader use of personal days off, outside of vacation time.
- Compressed schedules, enabling transferees to work fewer, but longer days.
- Non-traditional hours. For instance, a later start time might help parents with morning school drop-offs.
- A four-day workweek. We have many clients who roll summer Fridays off into their routine benefits packages. Allowing employees to take Fridays off without dipping into their PTO time helps with work-life balance, and has the potential to improve retention in the workplace.
Flexible move benefits.
What transferee Mary, married with school-aged children, needs in a relocation package is much different than what single Carl needs – or even Jackie and the aging parents moving with her.
If you are asking each of these transferees to fit within a single relocation policy, there’s a good chance your HR team will be managing lots of exceptions. That is time and potentially additional expense your department can’t afford.
Increasingly, businesses are turning to core/flex programs that combine standard benefits with flexible ones customized to each employee’s needs. Our relocation experts have found three key factors that differentiate the most-asked-for relocation benefits:
- What benefits are considered standard in a company’s policies and policy design;
- Whether the employee is a homeowner or renter; and
- The employee’s salary level. Generally speaking, we find that assignees at higher salary levels need different things than those who are not as cash fluid.
Flexible health benefits.
A recent CapRelo study found that eight in ten organizations provide an employee wellness program, and those programs continue to expand. In recent years, more than half (56%) of study participants said they increased their employee wellness benefits packages. Those numbers track with a recent MetLife study in which 86% of employers said they felt responsibility for employee health and well-being.
The Society for Human Resource Management notes that some benefit options might include things like smoking cessation, weight loss, stress management, company gym/workout rooms, recreational programs such as company-sponsored sports teams, medical screenings, and immunization/flu shots.
Some things to consider:
- Use employee input and data on your employee demographics to craft a relevant menu of benefit options.
- A point system that enables transferees to choose benefits within dollar limits provides budgetary control while giving the employee freedom of personal choice.
Work with the Experts.
Every transferee has a unique story, unique needs. The days of one-size-fits-all policies are giving way to flexible, customizable solutions that deliver work-life balance without breaking the relocation budget. Addressing the needs of transferees through a flexible lens encourages employee loyalty and motivates productivity.
If you are looking for ways to add greater flexibility to your mobility policies, talk to CapRelo’s seasoned experts. Our relocation management consultants have been setting the bar for client satisfaction for years.