Our third Social Change Collective event for the year was held on the 29th of May and explored flexible work. We were really grateful to have a range of diverse speakers that gave us insight into what flexible work is, the state of flexible work in New Zealand and a discussion around the benefits and challenges of flexible work.
We discussed how flexible work arrangements would help to mitigate increasing trends in burnout, presentism, disengagement, low motivation, internal cultural pressures in workplaces, and high churn. Thus giving employees the best chance to be productive, motivated and loyal. We were really were very grateful to hear from these wonderful speakers:
Amy Prebble - CEO and founder of Getaflex. Getaflex is a social enterprise based in Wellington that connects talents people to quality flexible and part-time work. Amy gave us a great insight into what flexible work is, the state of flexible work in New Zealand and what prompted her to start Getaflex.
Rachael & Debajeet - UDo, based in Auckland (joined us virtually from a pre-recorded Skype conversation). They have developed a mobile app 'FLEXiU' to help maximise flexible working by managing staff, covering crucial health and safety needs and enabling better efficiency in communication across flexible working teams.
Anna Watson - Anna is a very inspiring and dynamic individual who shared with us her 'flexible working in action' story. Anna has created a values-aligned and purpose-driven career of intention. She manages multiple roles with varying skillsets across different orgnisations and she shared with us the practicalities and challenges with how she manages this.
Nicole Beaumont - Talent and Culture, ANZ. Nicole shared with how the ANZ supports and embracing a flexible working culture. In 2015 ANZ's CEO announced 'all roles flexible' for 'anyone for any reason'. ANZ embrace flexible working in a mutltitude of ways and is key to attracting and retaining top talent and facilitating the agility and producitivty to succeed as a business.
A C T I O N S
INDIVIDUAL CHALLENGE
Find out about flexible working at your workplace and report back to us. This could range from finding out whether your workplace has a flexible working policy, to meeting with your employer to ask for greater flexibility in your work. Share with us your stories, successes or failures, via a Facebook message to the Social Change Collective. We then hope to collate these stories into a blog form.
Commitment: 1-3 hours; report back by August 2018
Here are some resources/articles to help think about how to approach conversations about flexible work with your employer or within your workplace:
If you are in the legal profession take a read of this report written by Sarah Taylor: Valuing our Lawyers: the untapped potential of flexible working in the legal profession in New Zealand.
VOICES PROJECT
Really inspired by the Flexible Working event? The Social Change Collective is concerned about some young professionals working excess hours into the early hours of the morning – without any form of recognition. The Voices Project will involve surveying young professionals about their working cultures to see whether there is an overworking issue and to report back to businesses key findings.
We are looking for a team of 3-5 people to take on this project and one person to lead the project. Please sign up here by Tuesday 12 June to express your interest.
Commitment: 2 hours per week; report back September 2018.
GETAFLEX VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
1. Video Clip Getaflex is looking for someone with video skills to produce a short video clip for YouTube - "Why flexible work is important' for both employees and employers. Please sign up here by Tuesday 12 June to express your interest.
Commitment: 10+ hours total, complete by August 2018.
2. Report/statistical analysis Produce a report/statistical analysis on advertised flexible work opportunities in NZ, based on data in the Gletaflex job database. Please sign up here by Tuesday 12 June to express your interest. Commitment: 5 hours a week (20-30 hours in total) by August 2018.