Agile Working

What does agile working really mean?
Is agile working the future of work? This question concerns many organizations and HR teams that plan for the future and want to be successful in it. But first they need an idea of agile working and how to implement it successfully.

In this article, we offer our own guide to the world of agile work. What agile working is, why it is important and how you can create a foundation for it. If you are interested in agile working and all its components, you have come to the right place.

What is agile working?
Agile working is the embrace of decentralized work methods where companies allow their employees to thrive with minimal restrictions and maximum responsibility. Agile working is not defined by physical spaces or the traditional concept of “workspace”, but is a freer approach to work that is not defined by time, space, collaboration or even role.

To be honest, this is a rather conceptual term. So if we want to work towards a more concrete definition, we have to look at it in its definable components:

Time – The hours employees work.

Space – The place where employees do their work.

Collaboration – How employees work together.

Role – What employees primarily work on.

Agile working is not limited to any of these characteristics. Rather, it is a melting pot that makes it a completely new form of work. One that relies on technology, solutions and strategic work as a competitive advantage.

What is the goal of agile work?
The main goal is to create a fundamental change in the way employees think about and approach work. It’s about creating a more balanced and motivated workforce, which leads to more effective products or services.

Another goal is to prepare for the future of work. In addition to considering remote work and home offices, companies also need to better understand how agile working can serve their goals as a foundation rather than a fringe benefit.

What is the difference between agile work and telecommuting?
Agile working can include remote working, but remote working is not the same as agile working, just a condition of it. While agile working can rely on location-independent working, it is a broader form of it as it incorporates other disciplines and components.

Does agile work lead to results?
The basic concept of agile work is that the focus is on the results and not all the steps and (sometimes) performative elements that lead to the goal. For this reason, results are truly the be-all and end-all of the game.

The first thing to note is that studies have shown that remote employees are more productive and happier in their roles. This is the first signal we can rely on to trust agile work as a useful method.

While the objectives and key results (OKRs) need to be agreed upon before implementing any type of methodology, the benefits are many:

– Employees are empowered to determine their own work and results.
– Results-oriented work usually leads to more innovation and productivity.
– Employees are happier at work.
– Your employer brand is strengthened by this satisfaction.
– Avoiding the risk of burnout among employees who can manage their own time.
– Happier customers due to more productive, innovative employees.

According to The Agile Organization, 63% of managers directly link revenue increases to flexible work.

What are some relevant terms?
Here are some of the most common terms used in the context of agile workgroups:

Hot Desks – Sharing desks that serve as “common spaces” for agile employees to use at their leisure. This is usually the start of a more agile form of work, as it means a move away from presenteeism.

Presenteeism – The outdated practice of being in the office for a set amount of time when you could do the same work in fewer hours regardless of location.

Flexible working – Also known as “flexible working hours”, this is an extension of presenteeism, where there is some flexibility in office working hours versus work hours.

Unified Communication – An important principle is that you have a single source for all your workplace communications (or at least one emphasized medium). This could be a work messaging application or even email in some cases.

Is your company ready for agile working?
This is a tricky question that depends entirely on your company. The first thing you should consider is what type of company culture you have – is it defined? Do you have values or expressions of your culture that mean something to your employees?

Because if your culture isn’t based on things like trust or transparency, it’s difficult to sell agile working as a meaningful long-term plan for employee productivity. Because it will ring hollow, and employees will see it as an option or simply contextual.

Therefore, you need to put the right processes in place, including:
– Support from management and executives across the company.
– A change management process that makes it easier to get started with agile working.
– A progressive company culture that focuses on results rather than hours worked.
– Strategic HR initiatives to emphasize accountability and transparency or feedback.

If you meet all of these requirements, your company will be better able to make the transition to agile working and maintain it in the long term. However, the prerequisite for this is that your HR department has the time and the tools to really work on a sensible method for your organization and your company.

What are the most common challenges?
First of all, it is crucial for a company to have a change management process in place. For a company to thrive in times of change, it needs a well-thought-out and defined strategy to achieve this goal.

Ultimately, most companies cannot become agile overnight. It is a project that brings a number of benefits (as described above). So the work involved can be worth it, but how do you get there?

Some of the most common challenges companies face when transitioning to agile working include:
– Lack of belief by management that this will produce results.
– Lack of belief among employees that they can be trusted to work agilely.
– Attempting to impose a template method on agile work.
– Inadequate consultation with employees at every step of the process.

How should HR approach agile work?
First of all, the HR department needs the software to support it in the implementation. Because an important principle of agile work is a single source of truth for all employee data, applications and other core HR processes.

After all, companies can only be successful if they excel at their processes. An important part of this is creating a foundation for managing employees. A big part of agile work is having the technology in place, and this is where HR software comes into play.

When it comes to absences, working hours, feedback and more, IceHrm is the all-in-one solution to help your HR department adopt agile practices.