Creating the new norm

Businesses have been forced to do things very, very diferently since early 2020. ‘Lockdown working’ threw everyone into unknown territory – systems had to be quickly established, technology integrated and home ofce space created, with no concept of how long we might be working like that.

It was a needs must, temporary solution.

As we emerge from lockdown working, however, it’s clear that things aren’t going to go back to how they were before the pandemic. The concept of working fve days a week from an ofce, regardless of what you’re doing or what you need to do, is unlikely to be attractive to current or future employees.

“In my view, the fexibility you ofer will become a reason you retain or lose staf,” says Kevin Baker, Regional Director of South East Australia, at Aon.

“Flexibility is now an expectation, and each individual is going to have an expectation of what fexibility looks like for them.

“There’s no right or wrong answer, other than if you say people have to be in the ofce fve days a week, you’re not going to be an employer of choice.”

HYBRID WORKING – MORE NUANCED THAN YOU MAY THINK

While the notion of fexible working may seem simple on the surface, once you begin scratching, it’s deeply nuanced. What will work for a company of 100 people, won’t necessarily work for a business with fve employees.

Similarly, what works for one role won’t work for another.

And over the coming months and years, it’s something that businesses are going to have to fgure out by trying certain things and seeing how they work in practice.

However, the research is clear - hybrid working has a benefcial efect on business2. Under a hybrid working arrangement, employees are 22 per cent more likely to increase productivity and 29 per cent more likely to try something new and innovative.

“We haven’t mandated that a certain number of days have to be in the ofce, we’ve left it up to our people to do what they feel is right, within our guardrails of client need and collaboration or connection opportunity,” says Baker.

“However, there are times when certain projects or meetings

require people being together face-to-face, and that’s where that fexibility has to work both ways.”

Of course, when you have employees working from home on a regular basis, you still have a duty of care as an employer.

“You need to make sure they’re set up correctly at home, and that they’re safe,” says Mark Pittman, General Manager, Government Services, at Allianz.

“There are a whole host of issues that employers need to look at from an injury care perspective, as well as functionality and productivity.”

EMBEDDING A HEALTHY CULTURE

A fundamental part of creating a workplace that’s both resilient to whatever the world throws at it, and one that delivers strongly for the business, is creating an environment that positively supports mental health.

Thanks to our recent experiences, we’re seeing a surge in mental health claims, and that’s got to be a priority when creating a workplace that will thrive in the future.

“The challenge is how do you make the employee feel they’re being listened to and valued,” says Pittman.

“A lot of the time, being proactive around workplace stress will prevent the claim from happening in the frst place or reduce the severity of it.”

By adopting a proactive approach to mental health in the workplace, combined with a fexible approach to working, a business can increase its reputation as a desirable place to work – which helps both the retention and recruitment of staf.

Research shows that the sense of empowerment employees get from hybrid working can lift employee engagement. 90 per cent of people who work in a hybrid way say their mental health has improved or stayed the same, while 83 per cent agree the same can be said for their physical health3 .

And in an environment in which talent holds many of the cards, that can be a signifcant advantage.

“An employee will talk to their colleagues and say, ‘my manager actually took a real interest in me’, and that’s a positive for workplace culture and productivity.”

Creating a workplace that’s going to satisfy both the needs of your business and your employees isn’t a straightforward task. What works for one organisation may not work for another, and what works for one person may not work for another, either.

The reality is, however, that businesses need to embrace a hybrid model of working if it’s possible to do so. If not, they’ll be left with the people who couldn’t get a job elsewhere – and that’s going to be to the long-term detriment of the business.

While there’s no simple answer to establishing the ‘new norm’ for your business, getting clarity on what you need as a business is a good place to start.

Baker says, “You’ve got to have clarity about what your baseline looks like, and what you feel the business needs as a minimum, and why.

“If you can articulate this strongly, you’re creating a good starting point from which to evolve.”

3 Busting the productivity myth: Hybrid working in Australia 2021. http://1u0b5867gsn1ez16a1p2vcj1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/ uploads/2021/10/Telstra_HybridWorkingReport.pdf

CREATING TOMORROW’S WORKPLACE

1. Hybrid working is an expectation for many workers 2. There’s no one-size-fts-all solution 3. Flexibility works both ways, so employees need to be as fexible as employers 4. Home setups need to be suitable for work, and an employer has responsibilities here 5. Start by getting clarity on what the baseline needs are for the business, and work from there.

NIBA GUIDES

Member Helpline: Tel: 02 9459 4300 / niba@niba.com.au / www.niba.com.au National Insurance Brokers Association Level 11, 20 Berry Street / North Sydney NSW 2060 Allianz Australia Insurance Limited Level 16, 10 Carrington Street / Sydney NSW 2000

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Allianz and NIBA gives no warranty and makes no representation that the information contained in this publication dated 20th July 2022 is, and will remain, suitable for any purpose or free from error. To the extent permitted by law, Allianz and NIBA excludes responsibility and liability in respect of any loss arising in any way (including by way of negligence) from reliance on the general information contained in this publication or otherwise in connection with it. The contents of this guide are protected by copyright. © Allianz Australia Insurance Limited (ABN 15 000 122 850) and National Insurance Brokers Association 2021.

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