Flexible Working (FW)

my first blog in English ... let's say it is different :-)

In Holland we call it "Het Nieuwe Werken" or HNW. And it is hot! I was curious about it in the UK, so when I attended my NLP training last week, I asked my colleague trainers about this Flexible Working phenomenon in England. It took a while to understand each other. That was a signal.

Without jumping to conclusions, I sense that the mental part of Flexible Working needs attention. In Holland and in England. Maybe the physical/technical part as well, but that is not what I'm interested in. I am passionate about the attitude towards Flexible Working, the changes in behaviour, beliefs and values. For the employees as well as for the employer. The type of leadership it requires.

FW needs new ways of thinking, new ways of organizing. It doesn't know traditional subordination, power and hierarchy models. Fewer rules and procedures are necessary .... oops, if you look at it that way, many companies must deal with great human capital issues before making Flexible Working work. Freedom, responsibility, results and trust are key words!

But what to do with this knowledge? Where to start?

Maybe we can start by sharing our experiences! Nobody knows as much as we all. 'Crowd-sourcing' is what I call it.

So, let me start. My experience is that, as an employer, you have to know WHY flexible working will be Necessary for you with a capital N! Introducing FW comes with huge cultural, organization changes; do you need to put your organisation in this stormy weather? And as an employee, an important question to ask yourself is: WHAT do I need (support, leadership, connection, etc) to work flexible? You will have to stand up, take the lead in making it work for yourself and your company.

This employee part is an important one, therefore: I suggest coaching will help. Why? Because you will have to look inside yourself and be honest. To yourself, your manager, your collegues. FW is all about trust. Am I trustworthy while working at home? Do I trust my manager? FW is all about freedom. Do I feel comfortable having so much freedom? What about the feeling of guilt? How to deal with that? Guilt always comes together with freedom, that I know for sure. Flexible Working: how do I have to behave different, what are my beliefs and values towards working, etc.?

Looking forward to your experiences!