HAMPSHIRE WORKSTYLE
FLEXIBLE SMARTER WORKING
What Does This Mean For You?
Index:
What is Flexible Smarter Working?
What are the benefits?
What Does ‘Be Flexible’ Mean I Need to DO?
Will this mean ‘unfair’ opportunities for some?
What Does ‘Work Smarter’ Mean I Need to DO?
Practical things you need to do:
What Your Manager Will Do During the Changes:
a)To support your team:
b)To support you:
Your Responsibilities During The Changes:
a) Managing your emotions:
b) Playing your part positively:
Where you can go for support and information:
Hantsnet Sites:
Personal Support:
What is Flexible Smarter Working?
Within the clear boundary that the needs of the business are ALWAYS paramount,Flexible Smarter Working (FSW) is a way of working which balances factors that support the individual (e.g. improved work/life balance, reduced stress) and the efficiency needs of the organisation (e.g. reduced costs & improved productivity). There has never been a time when it has been more necessary on both counts.
All Hampshire County Council staff are being asked to “Be Flexible / Work Smarter”. It is the combination of both elements that delivers what is needed in the current economic environment. The diagram below about Flexible Smarter Working shows why:
What are the benefits?
Much of this is not new and you may well be doing much of this already but we all need to apply it more consistently if the benefits are to be achieved. Our whole organisation needs to do ‘more for less’. If we cannot cut costs it will increase the need to cut other things but to cut costs without overloading people we all need to be smarter about what we spend our time doing.
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What Does ‘Be Flexible’ Mean I Need to DO?
There are several elements involved in ‘Be flexible’ which are outlined below. Of course the needs of the business you deliver is always a factor that acts as a boundary to what is possible but there is a lot of room to move within that IF teams work together to think about new ways to achieve things.
Here are some of the things you need to think about to help work out what you could consider doing differently:
Will this mean ‘unfair’ opportunities for some?
The concept of fairness is a difficult one as everyone interprets it differently. In reality life is rarely ‘fair’ as we rarely have control over what life brings and we all have different starting points and experience things differently. Whilst it may not be wise to expect fairness as a right we can always AIM to be as fair as we can.
In this context ‘fairness’ needs not to be about everyone having or doing the same; we have different starting points and jobs which offer different opportunities. It needs to be more everyone having the same chance to manage their work life balance within their job as long as this does not have a detrimental effect on the business or others… it is about balance – what is on one person’s ‘scales’ may be different than others but the balance is important.
What Does ‘Work Smarter’ Mean I Need to DO?
Much of the ‘Be flexible’ element will struggle to work unless we ‘work smarter’ as well. IF we do not change the way we do things it will limit not only what is possible for us as individuals but undermine the efficiency saving we need to make - these are not easy times for anyone. For example:
- if we do not manage our paperwork well then we will build up an increasing need for local storage, fill up the flexible office space and increase accommodation costs
- if we do not manage our time and priorities better then we will struggle to deliver the ‘more’ we need to deliver to keep the quality of our services – and stress ourselves more into the bargain.
Once again there are many elements to ‘working smarter’ which are outlined below. These are areas where you as an individual as well as your team need to review and make changes:
Practical things you need to do:
On the next two pages are some practical things to help you think about what this means for you. OF course your job role and type of business will affect the extent to what your options are. They come from two different angles so you can choose which works best for you:
- Top 10 Tips: Things you need to do
- Top 10 Questions: Things you need to ask yourself
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What Your Manager Will Do During the Changes:
a)To support your team:
Your Manager will have had a briefing and been given a guidance pack to help them think about and plan how they will work with you to support the move to Flexible Smarter Working.
It has been suggested that they work through some key issue for your team so that you take the opportunity together to use your creativity and knowledge of your business to find the way that will work for you in adapting to both this new way of working AND your new environment. The two things should work together as your environment has been designed to support FSW although if course each team and business will have to make its own adaptations that are peculiar to its business.
We have been working with managers throughout to try and make sure that the building and technology will support you in the best way possible whilst still achieving the aim to reduce overall accommodation costs but you will need to change to way you do some things to make it work for you.
b)To support you:
Of course there may be individual issues you want to discuss with your manager and this is exactly what you need to do. Most teams will have arrangements in place for individual support but of course you can always ask for a discussion.
If you are thinking about asking for changes to your work patterns then have a look on the Workstyle website (links at the end) as the section on Flexible time will lead to advice about what is possible.
Your manager will always have to think about the needs of the business first,which will have different impacts on different types of role, but within that requests for changes will all be considered on equal merit and it will not be about ‘time served’, status orfavouritism.
If you are a new member of staff still learning your role or if you are needing more individual support at any time this may reasonably affect the patterns of work that are sensible for at that time but these are all issues that should be discussed with your manager.
Your Responsibilities During The Changes:
a) Managing your emotions:
Any change that is not chosen has the potential to be difficult and as everyone is different there is likely to be a range of reactions and attitudes to the change which will fluctuate over time.
Of course it is natural and okay to have emotions – the trick is what you do with them. A useful technique can be to ask yourself what is causing that particular emotion for you … it will not be ‘just the change’ it will be something particular about the change and its potential impact for you that is behind it. Try to work to out what that is as it is then that, not the emotion itself, that you need to take and discuss with your manager or your colleagues to find ways in which your concerns can be addressed and you can get back on an even keel.
b) Playing your part positively:
You may find the diagram below helpful in deciding at what level the issues you are concerned about sit. Your managers and others will work together to resolve any issues that arise but it is useful to understand where they sit so that they can be dealt with in the right context.
The reality is that if an issue is really at organisational level then it may or may not be something your manager can influence but it is unlikely to be something they can control.
Your part is to apply the three principles that sit at the heart of making any, but particularly this working environment work for everyone:
The important thing to remember is that not just because of these changes to your working situation - which do not really need to be drastic - these are difficult times for everyone – support each other to find ways through.
Where you can go for support and information:
Hantsnet Sites:
Workstyle Site for a range of information:
Download these Flexible IT (FIT) cards for advice about using Flexible IT:
Phones – how to use:
Learn IT Induction:
IT related tips for Flexible & Efficient (Smarter) working:
HR Site for Flexible Patterns of work:
HR Site for Flexible Smarter Working
DSE Information on how to assess your workstation:
Guide to using the OWA site to access Hantsnet remotely without Passport
Personal Support:
For Business Related Issues: Your Line Manager
Employee Support Service
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