Communicating Flexibility: Clarifying your Employee Value Proposition to attract and retain talent

With the accelerated timeline for flexible working requests, organisations need to be crystal clear in their communications about their flexible working expectations and how this aligns with their Employee Value Proposition (EVP) to attract top talent. If expectations are not aligned, then the effort and expense of finding and onboarding talent is at risk, particularly if employees expect to work flexibly and are denied. On the other side of the spectrum, promoting transparency and understanding towards flexible working can help your organisation stand out to applicants looking to work flexibly.

In order to promote alignment, we recommend:

Define what flexibility means in your organisation

Every industry, organisation, and function has different demands, and you need to take a realistic look at what your business requires for employees to be successful. This involves balancing a top-down view of strategy with a data-backed view of performance in practice.

Consider: do you anticipate your policies changing in the next year? Do you have data to indicate which positions need to be during certain hours or in person?

Communicate upfront in your processes to attract talent

Once you’ve determined your views on flexibility, clearly feed those into recruiting pamphlets, job descriptions, social media posts aimed at prospective hires, and guides for conducting interviews. Now that employees can make flexible working requests on Day 1, they need to have clear expectations of the work environment throughout the recruitment process.

This is also an opportunity for your organisation to show how your stance on flexibility drives employee experience. Some hires prefer the buzz of a busy office, others prioritise the importance of flexibility. Either way, all hires need a clear view of the organisation’s views and expectations before joining. In addition, clarifying your stance can show potential employees how you integrate the equitable benefits
flexible working can have for parents, people with disabilities, and other talent.

Consider: Do you have your stance on flexible working integrated into your employer brand and recruiting lifecycle?

Establish best practice for flexibility

In the post-pandemic era, many roles can be done flexibly with reasonable adjustments. Your organisation will very likely have star performers who are exemplifying the ways that flexible working can benefit both the employee and
employer, which you can learn from.

Garnering insights and turning these into actionable initiatives (such as time management training, a performance management system, an agile approach to
work etc.) ensures that you are consistently implementing systems to set up flexible workers for success, as well as screening for the characteristics of stellar flexible workers in interviews.

Consider: What are shared qualities of your star performers working flexibly? How can you highlight their strengths to set the standard for best practice? What enables them to excel while working flexibly?

By taking these steps, you can clearly communicate how flexible working fits into your organisation’s value offer for employees.