Julia Shallcrass: Unlimited holidays? How to make your workplace flexible

Do you want unlimited paid annual leave, served with a slice of the company profits? Fancy yourself at the gym during work hours? Prefer to climb the corporate ladder in jandals than Jimmy Choos?

Look no further than Rocketwerkz, one of New Zealand's most flexible employers.

Rocketwerkz director Dean Hall became famous in international gaming circles as lead designer for the popular zombie apocalypse video game DayZ.

Now he is renowned as an employer of choice for flexible work culture. His staff can pick the hours they want to work, have unlimited paid annual leave, and receive a share in the company profit on projects.

Rather than skiving off, his staff are more creative as a result of workplace flexibility.

Likewise, the flexible working conditions at BNZ and Vodafone have boosted staff engagement, increased staff retention, and improved productivity.

Increasing Popularity

Flexible working has become one of the key workplace trends worldwide, and Generation Y'ers are hot on trend, valuing workplace flexibility over more money.

Like many Gen Y'ers, I work part-time in a collaborative workspace. It might be the coffee machine or the ping pong table, but Bizdojo's workspace provides fantastic collaboration with other freelancers and entrepreneurs.

It's not just Gen Y'ers seeking flexibility. More than half of all New Zealanders have some form of flexibility in their work, as employers keep pace with employees' personal commitments.

Many Kiwis require flexibility to balance jobs with family and caring roles, achieve a better lifestyle, or graduate into retirement.

Informal flexibility allows workers to work infrequently from home, and vary hours to attend special events. Formal flexible working arrangements include job sharing, or changing the hours, time or location of work.

All employees in New Zealand can formally request flexibility to share their work (such as job share), or to change the time or location of their work. While employers don't have to bend over backwards to allow flexible working, they can only refuse a request on particular grounds under the Employment Relations Act 2000.

Top Performers

Businesses striving to become an employer of choice make flexibility part of their brand. Leading employers like Rocketwerkz use flexible working practices to attract and retain top talent.

BNZ boasts workplace flexibility programs in relation to hours, roles, location and leave. The bank knows from its attraction and retention of talent that flexibility is highly valued.

Director of People and Communications at BNZ, Annie Brown says: "Flexible working allows people to have work life balance, so they are more energised. People are more engaged and we retain talent."

Vodafone's belief in its own innovative products and services inspired flexibility. "People are not fixed to desks, so can work from home or clients' sites," says HR Director of Vodafone, Antony Welton.

"Flexibility has reflected in greater productivity, and higher levels of staff engagement, wellbeing, and morale."

Rather than inflate the budget, Vodafone has found that flexible working arrangements like teleworking can reduce an organisation's overall costs.

So, what are you waiting for?

If you want to encourage flexibility for productivity, follow these tips:

• Train staff for flexibility. Virtual and part time workers should learn how to effectively use technology for remote work. Leadership development training can help leaders learn how to effectively implement and manage a flexible workforce.

• Be results focused. Rather than focusing on time spent in the office, reward staff for productivity or creativity. Manage outcomes rather than presenteeism. Like Rocketwerkz, consider offering staff equity on projects to motivate results.

• Communicate using technology. Go wireless to stop people from being connected to a desk. Follow the lead of Vodafone, and issue laptops and mobile devices so people can access information wherever they are. Don't overcomplicate technology - make sure all staff can use it!