Flexible Working or Working From Home? (and what it means for your Payroll Team)
Since 2019 there has been a significant increase in the discussion and debate around working from home, not because it didn't exist prior to then, but because businesses and individuals have been put in a position where they have had to change and adapt to the situation around them.
This discussion and debate has morphed into some quite heated discussions.
One of the big debates I see is that on one hand, businesses are slammed when they don't appear to offer an employee these arrangements permanently, while on the other hand debating the mental health impact that employees being forced to work from home has on employees.
It seems to me like employers are fighting an up-hill battle on the 'working from home' issue.
So I would like to challenge a new perspective on the topic and suggest that we more correctly should refer to it as 'Flexible Working Arrangements' rather than 'Working From Home'.
So what is the difference?
Well... let me use my business as an example to explain.
As part of the services we provide to our clients, we spend a lot of time at their offices working alongside their business (Payroll, HR, Finance and IT departments). Not all of our time is required to be on site, so when it is not required, we provide the option for the team to work from anywhere that they are able to produce quality outcomes, including more recently the option to work together in a co-working space.
This is what I call flexible working. Sometimes it is what the business needs (like being on site with clients), and sometimes it is what the employee needs (like getting to balance family life)
Feel the need to collaborate and feel connected but also need to have some clear space outside of the hectic family? Co-working it is!
Government issued work from home orders and the business needs you to work from home? We are ready and able to keep working with our clients!
Feel the need to be able to have some focus time without interruptions? maybe for you that is WFH and maybe it is the co-working space, and sometimes it could be another place all together, it depends on what works for you.
What doesn't change is the amazing service we provide our clients.
So what does this mean for your payroll team (or business)?
This is where it gets a little more tricky.....
I have the luxury of being able to provide these flexible working arrangements for my team because;
I do not have to meet the requirements of certain modern awards that were never designed to be in a world where so much flexibility has become common place
I have a small team where we can all be across each others whereabouts and can easily collaborate on things when we need to
We all live and breath payroll and rostering, and are able to easily implement tools to help us keep track and monitor what employees are entitled to for the work they have done
For other payroll teams (and businesses), it is not that easy.
Often payroll are already struggling to get good quality and accurate information on what employees have worked in order to pay them correctly (and yes, they need this information because often the modern awards, contracts, EBA's etc all insist on it to be able to correctly calculate peoples entitlements - we know timesheets for 'salary' based staff is antiquated!)
Payroll have to work with multiple operational managers within a business, which have their own opinions and expectations on how their teams should work (some more flexible, some less so)
There can be a divide between groups of employees that are provided this flexibility and those that can't (i.e. office based staff vs floor staff who can't do their jobs from home)
They need to be able to collaborate and co-work on documents and data that is needed for processing pays - some teams have this sorted with great remote working tools, for others this is a real struggle as they don't have the technology based tools to facilitate it, or the confidence to use the tools they do have
So how can we transition our teams to Flexible Working Arrangements, and what is the benefit?
There is no one size fits all answer. What will work for your team and business will depend on many things.
The first place to start is to understand what your team need in terms of tools and personal connections. Not everyone wants to give up their time in the office with their peers (when they can) so asking the question and being open about the process will allow you to achieve the right balance for all members of your team.
Check what sort of obligations you may have under your modern awards, workplace agreements, contracts and company policies - and be open with your team about any limitations they may evoke on you.
Once you have an idea on what can work for your team, be sure to set clear expectations and make sure everyone is accountable for them. If your team needs to be available to take phone calls between certain times, or if you need them to keep their calendar up to date so colleagues know when they can or can not be contacted, then make sure everyone knows that is what is expected.
Set boundaries so that home and work remain separate and don't become one continuous work day.
Be open to ideas and feedback on how things are going - the best way to know what does and doesn't work for people is to ASK THEM!
And don't be scared to change if things aren't working - these arrangements aren't set and forget.
The benefits of Flexible Work Arrangements can be amazing. There are lots of studies and articles on the benefits (and drawbacks) of these arrangements, but here are my personal top 3 benefits:
I have a happy team who feel they have the space they need to do their best work
I am able to provide the best services to my clients (see benefit #1)
I am able to balance running my business/ working with my home life, and my staff can do the same
Gemma McDonnell-Mossop
Independent Payroll Consultant
If you would like to read more about payroll in Australia, then keep and eye out for more by following Payroll Edge Consulting. To contact us and arrange a free one hour consultation on whether we can help you develop financial wellbeing as part of your payroll strategy, contact us at info@payrolledge.com.au