Lifecycle

Lifecycle Flexibility Systems

The next generation of flexible work

Standard Flexible Work Arrangements offer a vital platform for mutually beneficial forms of staffing and scheduling. But these options alone have become a form of rigid flexibility. Over the employee and business lifecycles, greater innovation is possible and required.

We work with clients to customize new forms of flexibility that are truly flexible – and demand powerful frameworks. The Mutual Respect skills enable flexible management and employee collaboration. Within customized procedural frameworks, this capacity enables the fluid passage through disruptive events such as chronic illness, family care or diverse education or volunteer commitments.

Informal Flexibility

 

Best Practice Guidance

Informality yes, “chaos” no

Formal or informal telework and flex schedules excel with clear standards and tools – basic systems need to provide consistent guidance for all frequency of use::

  • Our tools reduce confusion with easy registration and monitoring of the full flex spectrum
  • The best practices of ongoing flex schedules are summarized for easy access of occasional users
  • A simple request framework for managers and employees supports mutual respect and benefit

ASK TO SEE our sample guidance system

Intensive Flexibility

 

Managing Disruptions

Chronic illness, family and education

Ongoing flex schedules are “easy”. Severe challenges occur when cancer, eldercare and school schedules require a medley of flex options over time. We craft:

  • Customized systems with standards, guidance and tools enabling consistency and competence
  • Alignment of leaders, managers and HR with widely shared principles and protocols
  • Pervasive Mutual Respect training as a platform for clean communication and problem-solving

CALL to discuss your custom design

Flexible Entry & Exit

 

True “On-ramps” and “Off-ramps”

Phasing into/back from leaves or into retirement

Our rigid employment habits assume continuous full-time work as the standard. But the lifecycle demands smooth transitions throughout. True flex requires:

  • Provision of distinct options for dependent care, education and flexible retirement pathways
  • Principles and tools that enable and insist on agile tailoring for the transition of each participant
  • Comprehensive Mutual Respect training to strengthen required fluid skills

CONTACT US to assess your options

a flexibility success story from

Sodexo – Informal Flexibility
Applying structure and tools to the stream of daily flex requests  

Client Challenge 

Sodexo is a food and facilities management company with over 100,000 employees. In the course of planning their FWA rollout using R&C’s online toolkit, the HR and Diversity leadership were concerned that in their operating environment thousands of people needed informal flexibility on a regular basis – and there was no consistent guidance on how to best negotiate such arrangements. It was agreed that once formal FWAs were launched, a creative approach to informal flexibility should follow.

Our Intervention

R&C was asked to participate in the diagnose-design-deliver process with a cross-functional group, FIT – the Flexibility Implementation Team. A best practices model was developed to guide the practice of informal flexibility within the firm. R&C developed a set of complementary online guidance based on its FWA guidelines. This tool offered a simple, user-friendly negotiating model and condensed best practice guidance on flextime and telework.

Organizational Outcome 

The integrated formal/informal flexibility websites were unveiled in a relaunch of the company’s “Flexibility Works” initiative. The formal tools had already been well-received and led to considerable FWA usage. The reception for the informal tool was equally positive and helped bring consistency to non-exempt settings which had varied widely in their offerings and usage.