INSIGHTS KATHY CATTON
Embracing flexible working New ways of working are here to stay. Flexibility is a priority not only for employees but also employers, who see the benefits it brings to the bottom line. Human Resources spoke with three organisations to learn more about what flexibility looks like in practice and what advice they would give HR professionals when seeking to make a difference.
Southern Cross
Society. “Although if someone is planning to work from a different city, we prefer they let their leader know.” Vicki says the critical question employees should ask themselves is where they can work to get the best outcome for the business. If that means working from home, Southern Cross gives its employees the freedom to do that. If their office is at home, staff are fully equipped to work from home because everything is stored in the cloud. Goals and expectations are clearly communicated, so it’s less relevant where someone works.
Flexible working at Southern Cross means that every one of its 800 employees can choose to work where they want within New Zealand. Staff can’t choose the number of hours they work (this is contractually agreed) but they can choose when and where they work those hours. Contact centre employees are rostered to cover the call centre’s opening hours, which they can choose to do at home or in the office. It’s a forward-thinking approach and one that appears to be working.
The success of such a bold move has been two-fold. The organisation’s purposeful and values-driven culture means there is enormous transparency from leaders. Priding themselves on their transparency, leaders are known to give as much information to employees as soon as possible. “We expect this same transparency in return from our people,” says Vicki. “Our leaders need to lead differently, of course, with a rise in the development of soft skills to ensure they are communicating well.”
“There’s no need to apply,” says Vicki Caisley, Chief People and Strategy Officer at Southern Cross Health
The second success factor was the introduction of an external coach for the executive team. This coach aimed
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HUMAN RESOURCES
AUTUMN 2021
to help the leadership team establish with absolute clarity the definition of what flexible working is at Southern Cross. Is New Zealand our workplace? Who pays for the travel when a team meeting is booked in Auckland and people have to travel from home to get there? The coach facilitated some of these crunchy conversations in order to answer these vital questions. The result is a ‘playbook’, or guidebook, of principles for flexible working based on the concept of the business being ‘with’ its people: • You’re with Southern Cross – to
achieve our business outcomes • You’re with your team – for collaboration and engagement • We’re with you – when you do the best work of your life.
The ‘playbook’ isn’t set in concrete and will remain a live document as the business learns more about new ways of working. The company is open to change, but it’s a great start to a potentially complex area of employment. The benefits so far have been numerous, such as younger employees being able to save money for the first time due to reduced commuter and parking expenses.
