With approximately two months until most organisations in the arts, culture and visitor attraction sector are able to open, now is the time to consider how the pandemic has changed ways of working long term.

There is a lot of noise around a new appreciation and acceptance of flexible working - but how does it work in sectors where a large proportion of roles are customer facing?

Tensions could arise between those who need to be at the workplace and those who can work remotely.

Organisations need to be open minded. There is more to flexible working than location and a ‘one size fits all’ approach is unlikely to succeed - everyone’s idea of flexible working differs, just as much as the ease of flexibility differs between roles.

How to get flexible working right for all

To make flexibility really work, it is vital that organisations have open and transparent conversations with their workforce about…

• What the organisation needs from their employees;
• What flexibility truly means to each employee; and
• What employees need from their employer in order for flexibility to work successfully for them.

It is important to have well-thought-out flexibility principles embedded in the organisation and in line with organisational values to guide conversations and decisions around flexible working. This will create greater accountability, transparency and consistency.

Such principles should outline what flexibility could look like for all employees.

Get in touch today to discuss how we can help you build your flexibility principles to ensure all employees have an equal opportunity for flexible working.