Some friends mentioned to me at the weekend that they work on a blended model of 40% in the office and 60% at home. Flexibility is offered in the days you work in either location. There was a throw away comment however about picking office days depending on which colleagues are also in. Particularly, with reference to deliberately avoiding specific people!
An average a person spends more awake time working in their job than they spend on leisure time. The workplace has changed though, and the line between workplace and home has become grey with so many of us using our home as a place of work and leisure. Therefore, being able to choose which working culture we desire to experience throughout the week. As such, who is responsible for employee wellbeing when they are at work or when they work remotely? Individually, being more comfortable working from home while avoiding colleagues may seem like a bonus, culturally as an organisation this may contribute to problems.
Able Bridge Recruitment work with a blend of businesses that range across most industry sectors. Our clients are highly aware of their responsibility to maintain the health of their staff.
Listening to the conversation at the weekend though, my thoughts focused on the employers who do not have their staff at the forefront of their minds. If employees deliberately avoid each other, it is also possible for them to avoid direct contact with their managers or mental health first aiders and this in tern can lead to a damaging and unproductive workforce.
Able Bridge Recruitment are huge advocates of remote, blended and office working models, however controls need to be put in place to ensure staff security (both emotional and physical), customer experience and service delivery are robust but not at the expense of employee experience/company culture.
Able Bridge Recruitment is an Accountancy and Human Resources recruitment business that operates in most of Scotland, predominately on the central belt. If you would like to reach out to us as either a job seeker or an employer, please feel free to reach out to one of the team on either 0141 739 7090 or 0131 212 3215 alternatively you can email info@ablebridge.co.uk
