Review your team’s Flexibility Arrangements on a regular basis to ensure individual, team and client/stakeholder needs are considered, and operational requirements continue to be met.
Tips and Tools to review Flexible Work Arrangements:
The best way to determine how well Flexibility Agreements are working is to ask:
- Check in regularly with those who have a flexibility agreement and do the same with those who don’t to identify and mitigate any challenges early.
- Bring the team together at regular intervals to discuss what is working well and how any challenges are being addressed.
- Revisit and contribute to the Flexibility Framework FAQs by emailing your questions to ODLS1@uvic.ca so your experience will help others.
- Ask your clients and stakeholders how their needs are being met. You can do short surveys, focus groups or interviews.
- Review any data or metrics to inform these conversations. Each unit will have different ways of measuring success, performance, and service.
Reviewing individual experiences with flexible work arrangements:
- For each employee, book a check-in meeting at the midpoint of the flexibility agreement term, and approximately one month prior to the end of the term to review what is working well and what could be changed.
- It is helpful to retain and update the agreement after each review period. This review can form a part of your regular Performance and Development Conversations.
- If performance issues have arisen during the flexibility agreement period, clearly discuss the nature of the issue to determine how it might be connected to the flexible arrangement. Agreements may be suspended until performance improves but connect with your HR Consultant if you are considering this approach.
Sample questions for reviewing Flexible Work Arrangements:
Below are some sample questions for you to choose from or inspire your own questions as part of your review process:
Reviewing impact on client service:
- What client service metrics can we use to assess the impact of Flexible work?
- What feedback have you received from your clients?
- What changes in client needs have you noticed?
- How are clients being served better?
- What client service gaps have you noticed?
Reviewing impact on performance (team or individual):
- Which tasks are better performed on campus?
- Which tasks are better performed remotely?
- Which tasks must be performed during core work hours?
- Where do we notice service gaps, production issues, or other performance deficits?
- Are there certain days, months or peak activity seasons when flexible work is less effective? More effective?
Reviewing impact on team dynamics:
- How are our team meetings working? (format and structure)
- How could we make team meetings better?
- What have been the best ways to collaborate on work or projects?
- Which collaboration tools have been working the best for our team?
- How might we use technology differently to increase collaboration and communication?
- What team norms work well? Where do we need new team norms?
Reviewing individual experience and preferences:
- What are the benefits of flexible work for you? What are the challenges?
- What do you love about being on campus?
- Is your current schedule working well or does it need to be adjusted?
- Do you feel you are being treated equitably?
- Is there anything else you have been thinking about regarding flexible work?