Half day open training event held in Hamilton, Ontario.

1. Working flexibly
by Toronto Training and HR
September 2013

2. CONTENTS
5-6 Definitions
7-8 Typical challenges
9-10 Costs and time
11-12 Pluses and minuses
13-14 Drill A
15-18 Implementing flexible working
19-23 Adopting a flexible working strategy
24-26 Tips for teleworking
27-28 Drill B
29-30 Why is flexible working a business imperative?
31-33 How can HR get involved?
34-35 Contractual considerations
36-37 Things to consider
38-39 What do employees want?
40-41 Impact of flexible working
42-43 Total factor productivity
44-45 Considerations in 2013
46-47 How does Canada compare?
48-49 Case studies
50-51 Conclusion and questions
Page 2

3. Page 3
Introduction

4. Page 4
Introduction to Toronto Training
and HR
Toronto Training and HR is a specialist training and
human resources consultancy headed by Timothy Holden
10 years in banking
10 years in training and human resources
Freelance practitioner since 2006
The core services provided by Toronto Training and HR
are:
Training event design
Training event delivery
Reducing costs, saving time plus improving
employee engagement and morale
Services for job seekers

5. Page 5
Definitions

6. Definitions
• What is flexible working?
• Workplace flexibility
• Types of flexible working
• Factors that contribute to an
interest in flexible working
Page 6

7. Page 7
Typical challenges

8. Typical challenges
• Overcoming concerns about
operational pressures and
meeting customer requirements
• Line managers’ current ability to
manage flexible
working effectively
• Line managers’ current attitudes
toward flexible working
• The existing organizational
culture
• A lack of support at senior levels
Page 8

9. Page 9
Costs and time

10. Costs and time
• Average time of daily
commute?
• Annual total mileage of all car
commutes?
• Employees occupy how much
space (m²)?
• Average office occupancy?
• Average annual office costs per
head?
Page 10

11. Page 11
Pluses and minuses

12. Pluses and minuses
• Benefits
• Drawbacks
Page 12

13. Page 13
Drill A

14. Page 14
Drill A

15. Page 15
Implementing flexible
working

16. Implementing flexible working
1 of 3
• Establish a clear process for how
flexible working works in the
organization
• Ensure that there are clear roles
and responsibilities for
employees, line managers and
HR
• Assess the current levels of
support offered to line managers
and ensure it is sufficient
Page 16

17. Implementing flexible working
2 of 3
• Invest in ongoing
communication and awareness
raising
• Assess how conducive the
organization culture is to flexible
working – and take action
accordingly
Page 17

18. Implementing flexible working
3 of 3
• Make use of pilots (when
introducing new initiatives) and
trial periods (for individual
flexible working arrangements)
in order to highlight potential
problems with flexible working
arrangements
• Build in opportunities and
mechanisms to monitor and
evaluate progress with flexible
working
Page 18

19. Page 19
Adopting a flexible
working strategy

20. Adopting a flexible working
strategy 1 of 4
• Understand who would benefit
from flexible working and
which practices would be most
relevant to the organization
• Consider training to help
employees understand the
uses and benefits of flexible
working
Page 20

21. Adopting a flexible working
strategy 2 of 4
• Make sure that you choose a
single, robust platform that can
be employed across the whole
organization-ideally ones that
can even be accessed by third
parties should the need arise
• Ensure that flexible workers
are contactable through a
range of methods
Page 21

22. Adopting a flexible working
strategy 3 of 4
• Assess the needs of your
employees to understand
which devices they require
• It is crucial to feel you can
trust employees to be efficient
when you are freeing them up
to work in a more independent
way
• Understand the importance of
choosing a scalable solution
Page 22

23. Adopting a flexible working
strategy 4 of 4
• Put systems in place to make it
quick and simple for an
employee to request flexible
working
• Monitor the effectiveness of
your flexible working strategy
• Once you have the flexible
working strategy in
place, shout about it!
Page 23

24. Page 24
Tips for teleworking

25. Tips for teleworking 1 of 2
• Start small with a pilot to test fears
around teleworking
• Seek feedback at the beginning
and end of the pilot to measure
the results
• Build in time for spontaneous
interaction with team meeting days
and social events for remote
workers
• Involve the whole team in
establishing a program, not just
the teleworking employee
Page 25

26. Tips for teleworking 2 of 2
• Get in the habit of using
technology to loop in remote
employees for impromptu
meetings
• Decide on work objectives for
teleworkers and use those to
measure performance
• Establish a “telework charter” that
spells out the ground rules
Page 26

27. Page 27
Drill B

28. Page 28
Drill B

29. Page 29
Why is flexible working a
business imperative?

30. Why is flexible working a business
imperative?
• Employees are happier and
healthier
• Employees are more productive
and engaged
• Flexible working is a key
recruitment and retention tool
• It helps the bottom line
Page 30

31. Page 31
How can HR get involved?

32. How can HR get involved? 1 of 2
• Bring top management onboard
as flex champions
• Position flexible working as a
business strategy, not a perk
• Make the business case,
focusing on bottom line ROI
• Also get middle management
onboard
• Listen to what your employees
say works best for them
Page 32

33. How can HR get involved? 2 of 2
• Design solutions that work for
both the organization and the
employees
• Develop written policies that are
clear to all
• Devise measurements to show
progress
• Provide flexible working training
for managers and employees
• Build flexible working into your
corporate culture via CEO
messages
Page 33

34. Page 34
Contractual considerations

35. Contractual considerations
• Hours of work
• Absence
• Place of work
• Salary and benefits
• Expenses
• Right to enter
• Discipline and grievance
Page 35

36. Page 36
Things to consider

37. Things to consider
• Data Protection
• Termination and confidentiality
• Health & Safety considerations
• Use of equipment
• Discrimination
Page 37

38. Page 38
What do employees want?

39. What do employees want?
• Variation in hours of the
working day
• To be able to work from home
one or two days a week
• Work a compressed working
week
Page 39

40. Page 40
Impact of flexible working

41. Impact of flexible working
• Connected employees
• Telecommuting
• Productivity
• Work-life balance
• Job security
• Burnout
Page 41

42. Page 42
Total factor productivity

43. Total factor productivity
• Output
• Reduction in attrition
• Fall in capital needed per
employee
Page 43

44. Page 44
Considerations in 2013

45. Considerations in 2013
• Time famine
• Increase in eldercare
responsibilities
• Dual-earner issues
• More male work-life conflict
• Rising stress levels
• Diverse and multi-generational
workforce
Page 45

46. Page 46
How does Canada
compare?

47. How does Canada compare?
• US
• Mexico
• Puerto Rico
• APAC
• EMEA
Page 47

48. Page 48
Case studies

49. Case studies
Page 49

50. Page 50
Conclusion and questions

51. Page 51
Conclusion and questions
Summary
Videos
Questions