Making flexible work work

While studies show that organisations understand the need for and recognise the value of flexible work, a recent report by McKinsey & Company notes that fewer than 25% of employees take full advantage of the programs on offeri . This raises the question – why? Why is it that organisations recognise the potential benefits that flexible work arrangements can deliver – including, higher employee engagement, retention, productivity – and establish relevant programs and policies, yet many people still struggle to make these arrangements work? The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the enablers and barriers that make a difference. We aim to give both organisations and individuals guidance on how to better establish and sustain flexible work practices, to a point where it really does become the norm and the benefits can be fully realised. Put simply, our challenge and the purpose of this paper, is how do we make flexible work work.