More and more companies are adopting a flexible working culture, including many in plant industries.
By giving your workers greater control over where, when, and how they work, you can create a higher level of employee satisfaction, create better talent acquisition, and drive stronger operational results.
Check out the following helpful information to help you get started in adopting a flexible working culture for your company.
Determine the Type of Flexible Working Options You Can Introduce for Your Specific Industry and Company
First off, consider how you can introduce flexible working options for your specific type of plant. For instance, if you operate a chemical plant or a nuclear power plant, your approach will likely be different from how you implement a flexible working culture at an oil refinery.
You may be able to provide more remote working opportunities in an industry that requires office-based employees, for example, than you could in a sector where the majority of your workforce are skilled manual workers who need to always be present on site.
A flexible working culture isn’t limited to remote working. It can include flexible hours, split shifts, compressed workweeks, and more.
So, spend time looking at which types of flexible working options you can introduce and which options will most benefit your employees and your company to make the right decisions. Shift swapping and job share arrangements can be particularly beneficial.
When your workers are able to swap shifts and share jobs, they will be able to manage their personal lives much more effectively; such as being able to pick up their kids from after-school activities or having the time to enroll in part-time education.
And when employees have greater control over their home and work life, they will be happier in their jobs and be more productive. In turn, that means your company can create greater employee retention.
You’ll need to put some limitations in place, though, such as allowing employees to swap up to eight shifts a month. So, make sure you look at the overall structure in order to determine what flexible options you can provide.
Come Up with a Flexible Work Culture Strategy
After looking at ways in which you can introduce different flexible working options, it’s time to actually introduce your flexible working culture. You should create guidelines for each element, such as rules for shift swapping and working remotely.
You should also create a plan regarding which departments and which employees are able to access flexible hours.Your company may not be in a position to roll out flexible working options company-wide.
During the planning stage, you also need to appoint supervisors or managers who will have the final say regarding flexible working options for individual employees
Run a Pilot Program
Before you implement a company-wide program, use a trial program for just one department or a specific group of employees so that you can determine how well your strategy works.
You’ll be able to identify weak spots in your plans, obtain real data to make any adjustments, and discover any elements that you have overlooked to ensure your strategy goes according to plan. For instance, you may have overlooked things like how your employees will clock in if they are working remotely. In that case, you could utilize employee time clock software.
Create a Communication Plan
Lastly, make sure you create a communication plan and utilize online tools so that workers, supervisors, and managers can provide support and stay connected.
Don’t overlook how important this step is. If you’re providing multiple flexible working options, you need to have a sound system in place to ensure everyone is on the same page and it’s easy for all involved to communicate with one another easily.
