Stories
Stories
Defining Flex Work
The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the workplace has been seismic, causing many companies to completely rethink their strategies and models.
It was especially disruptive, says Anna Auerbach (MBA 2010), because companies had already been holding on to outdated ideas about workplace flexibility. “We’re still using terms like telework and telecommute, says Auerbach. “The reality is—even as someone who works so deeply in this field—I actually can’t tell you what those things mean.”
Modernizing the lexicon to reflect the reality of employees’ lives and employers’ needs is one of the goals of Werk, the workforce-management platform that Auerbach cofounded in 2016. Earlier in her career as a consultant she had seen the effects of inflexible workplaces. Around her, many of her top women colleagues were dropping out of the workforce after having children. Auerbach recalls seeing a study that estimated that some 30 percent of women would leave the professional world to become caregivers, but that 70 percent would have stayed if they had access to a flexible schedule. It was an “aha” moment for Auerbach.
She initially launched Werk as a marketplace to connect those seeking flexibility with companies that offer it, but almost immediately Auerbach recognized two fundamental problems. First, no one knew how to talk about flexibility. Second, no one had the data to understand the business benefits of it. The New York City–based startup quickly evolved into an SaaS platform that helps companies understand their employees’ needs and best respond to them.
There is no a one-size-fits-all solution to the flexibility question, says Auerbach. Werk assesses each employee and recommends a schedule most likely to maintain productivity and improve employee satisfaction and retention. Most employees’ needs fit into a combination of six categories Werk devised after reviewing existing company policies, including “remote,” an employee who is never in the office; “desk-plus,” an employee who has the option to work from the office or another location; “microagility,” an employee who can make small schedule adjustments to accommodate personal appointments; and “time shift,” an employee who has a customized regular schedule, such as a four-day workweek.
These strictly defined categories have helped employers understand that the switch to workplace flexibility may not mean a dramatic change in their business. When many leaders think about flexibility, they think about employees who are not in the office, Auerbach observes. “Yet remote is one of the least-in-need flexibility types. What people need more is the ability to play with time.” Werk’s data shows that microagility is the most-in-demand option, with 80 percent of the US workforce in need of that minor flexibility. “That means three out of four people who have a doctor’s appointment or a parent-teacher conference or need to let in a handyman actually can’t do that,” Auerbach says.
Among Werk’s clients are BNP Paribas, United Way, and Warner Music Group. Another client is Credigy, an Atlanta-based financial services firm with 170 employees. A Werk assessment at Credigy revealed that while the leadership believed they were running a flexible workplace, the staff did not feel that way because requests were approved on a case-by-case basis. Still, the company was wary of a blanket policy. “We saw many companies rolling out one-day-a-week or fully remote policies—extreme options with complicated rules that often defeat the purpose of flexibility,” says Kim Williams, Credigy’s director of employee experience and corporate affairs. “These kinds of policies never seemed to fit the diversity of our people.” With Werk’s help, the company introduced a truly flexible policy, addressing all six categories of need identified by Werk. A survey conducted six months after the initial assessment found positive changes: 88 percent of employees believed the new policy allowed them to get their work done efficiently, and 84 percent said that it was an important factor in their desire to stay at the company.
Earlier this year, Werk was purchased by the Mom Project, which has used Werk’s core technology to create a new arm called Werk Labs. (Auerbach has since taken a position at Egon Zehnder.) In her four years at Werk, Auerbach watched a sea change in attitudes toward flexibility in the workplace. “Since we started, demand has grown exponentially,” she says. “Today, one in three companies we talk to has a top-down directive from the C-suite to explore flexibility.”
Post a Comment
Related Stories
-
- 01 Dec 2023
- HBS Alumni Bulletin
Happier-ness at Work
Re: Arthur C. Brooks (Professor of Management Practice) -
- 01 Sep 2023
- HBS Alumni Bulletin
Bless this Stress
Re: Modupe Akinola (MBA 2001); Alison Wood Brooks (O'Brien Associate Professor of Business Administration); By: Jen McFarland Flint -
- 01 Sep 2023
- HBS Alumni Bulletin
Solving for Z
Re: Matt Breitfelder (MBA 2002); Gloria Chen (MBA 1994); Josh Bronstein (MBA 2010); By: Alexander Gelfand; Illustrations by Doug Chayka -
- 24 May 2023
- Skydeck
Balancing Acts
Re: Reshma Kewalramani (GMP 18); Depelsha Thomas McGruder (MBA 1998); Ray McGuire (MBA 1983); Antonis Samaras (MBA 1976); Steve Schwarzman (MBA 1972)
Stories Featuring Anna Auerbach
-
- 08 Sep 2016
- Marie Claire
Why the Non-9-to-5 Is the Future of Feminism
Re: Anna Auerbach (MBA 2010)