How
Common concerns and how to deal with them
1. Won’t flexibility have a negative impact on productivity?
This question is frequently asked by managers working in areas that deal with customers or where performance depends on a high level of teamwork and collaboration. Managers find that flexibility works better if some adjustments are made to work organisation (eg change the times of team meetings) and communication (eg having brief phone calls to catch up on changing customer needs or the availability of specific product lines).
The experience of most managers is that when flexibility is implemented effectively, productivity levels are either maintained or improved because the energy levels, commitment and productivity of two part-time employees has been found to be higher than for one full-time employee. What you could also consider is doing your own short-term evaluation of the impact of flexibility in your area using suggestions contained in the Evaluation Tool.