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Develop a Targeted Flexible Work Program for IT

Select flexible work options that balance organizational and employee needs to drive engagement and improve attraction and retention.

  • Workplace flexibility continues to be top priority for IT employees. Organizations who fail to offer flexibility will have a difficult time attracting, recruiting, and retaining talent.
  • When the benefits of remote work are not available to everyone, this raises fairness and equity concerns.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

IT excels at hybrid location work and is more effective as a business function when location flexibility is an option for its employees. But hybrid work is just a start. A comprehensive flex work program extends beyond flexible location, so organizations must understand the needs of unique employee groups to uncover the options that will attract and retain talent.

Impact and Result

  • Uncover the needs of unique employee segments to shortlist flexible work options that employees want and will use.
  • Assess the feasibility of various flexible work options and select ones that meet employee needs and are feasible for the organization.
  • Equip leaders with the information and tools needed to implement and sustain a flexible work program.

Develop a Targeted Flexible Work Program for IT Research & Tools

1. Assess employee and organizational flexibility needs

Identify prioritized employee segments, flexibility challenges, and the desired state to inform program goals.

Develop a Targeted Flexible Work Program for IT – Phases 1-3
Talent Metrics Library
Targeted Flexible Work Program Workbook
Fast-Track Hybrid Work Program Workbook

2. Identify potential flex options and assess feasibility

Review, shortlist, and assess the feasibility of common types of flexible work. Identify implementation issues and cultural barriers.

Flexible Work Focus Group Guide
Flexible Work Options Catalog

3. Implement selected option(s)

Equip managers and employees to adopt flexible work options while addressing implementation issues and cultural barriers and aligning HR programs.

Guide to Flexible Work for Managers and Employees
Flexible Work Time Policy
Flexible Work Time Off Policy
Flexible Work Location Policy

Develop a Targeted Flexible Work Program for IT

Select flexible work options that balance organizational and employee needs to drive engagement and improve attraction and retention.

Executive Summary

Your Challenge

  • IT leaders continue to struggle with workplace flexibility, and it is a top priority for IT employees; as a result, organizations who fail to offer flexibility will have a difficult time attracting, recruiting, and retaining talent.
  • The benefits of remote work are not available to everyone, raising fairness and equity concerns for employees.

Common Obstacles

  • A one-size-fits-all approach to selecting and implementing flexible work options fails to consider unique employee needs and will not reap the benefits of offering a flexible work program (e.g. higher engagement or enhanced employer brand).
  • Improper structure and implementation of flexible work programs exacerbates existing challenges (e.g. high turnover) or creates new ones.

Info-Tech's Approach

  • Uncover the needs of unique employee segments to shortlist flexible work options that employees want and will use.
  • Assess the feasibility of various flexible work options and select ones that meet employee needs and are feasible for the organization.
  • Equip leaders with the information and tools needed to implement and sustain a flexible work program.

Info-Tech Insight

IT excels at hybrid location work and is more effective as a business function when location flexibility is an option for its employees. But hybrid work is just a start. A comprehensive flex work program extends beyond flexible location, so organizations must understand the needs of unique employee groups to uncover the options that will attract and retain talent.

Flexible work arrangements are a requirement in today's world of work

Flexible work continues to gain momentum…

A 2022 LinkedIn report found that the following occurred between 2019 and 2021:

+362%

Increase in LinkedIn members sharing content with the term "flexible work."

+83%

Increase in job postings that mention "flexibility."
(LinkedIn, 2022)

In 2022, Into-Tech found that hybrid was the most commonly used location work model for IT across all industries.

("State of Hybrid Work in IT," Info-Tech Research Group, 2022)

…and employees are demanding more flexibility

90%

of employees said they want schedule and location flexibility ("Global Employee Survey," EY, 2021).

17%

of resigning IT employees cited lack of flexible work options as a reason ("IT Talent Trends 2022," Info-Tech Research Group, 2022).

71%

of executives said they felt "pressure to change working models and adapt workplace policies to allow for greater flexibility" (LinkedIn, 2021).

Therefore, organizations who fail to offer flexibility will be left behind

Difficulty attracting and retaining talent

98% of IT employees say flexible work options are important in choosing an employer ("IT Talent Trends 2022," Info-Tech Research Group, 2022).

Worsening employee wellbeing and burnout

Knowledge workers with minimal to no schedule flexibility are 2.2x more likely to experience work-related stress and are 1.4x more likely to suffer from burnout (Slack, 2022; N=10,818).

Offering workplace flexibility benefits organizations and employees

Higher performance

IT departments that offer some degree of location flexibility are more effective at supporting the organization than those who do not.

35% of service desk functions report improved service since implementing location flexibility.
("State of Hybrid Work in IT," Info-Tech Research Group, 2023).

Enhanced employer brand

Employees are 2.1x more likely to recommend their employer to others when they are satisfied with their organization's flexible work arrangements (LinkedIn, 2021).

Improved attraction

41% of IT departments cite an expanded hiring pool as a key benefit of hybrid work.

Organizations that mention "flexibility" in their job postings have 35% more engagement with their posts (LinkedIn, 2022).

Increased job satisfaction

IT employees who have more control over their working arrangement experience a greater sense of contribution and trust in leadership ("State of Hybrid Work in IT," Info-Tech Research Group, 2023).

Better work-life balance

81% of employees say flexible work will positively impact their work-life balance (FlexJobs, 2021).

Boosted inclusivity

  • Caregivers regardless of gender, supporting them in balancing responsibilities
  • Individuals with disabilities, enabling them to work from the comfort of their homes
  • Women who may have increased responsibilities
  • Women of color to mitigate the emotional tax experienced at work

Info-Tech Insight

Flexible work options are not a concession to lower productivity. Properly implemented, flex work enables employees to be more productive at reaching business goals.

Despite the popularity of flexible work options, not all employees can participate

IT organizations differ on how much flexibility different roles can have.

IT employees were asked what percentage of IT roles were currently in a hybrid or remote work arrangement ("State of Hybrid Work in IT," Info-Tech Research Group, 2023).

However, the benefits of remote work are not available to all, which raises fairness and equity concerns between remote and onsite employees.

45%

of employers said, "one of the biggest risks will be their ability to establish fairness and equity among employees when some jobs require a fixed schedule or location, creating a 'have and have not' dynamic based on roles" ("Businesses Suffering," EY, 2021).

Offering schedule flexibility to employees who need to be fully onsite can be used to close the fairness and equity gap.

When offered the choice, 54% of employees said they would choose schedule flexibility over location flexibility ("Global Employee Survey," EY, 2021).

When employees were asked "What choice would you want your employer to provide related to when you have to work?" The top three choices were:

68%

Flexibility on when to start and finish work

38%

Compressed or four-day work weeks

33%

Fixed hours (e.g. 9am to 5pm)

Disclaimer: "Percentages do not sum to 100%, as each respondent could choose up to three of the [five options provided]" ("Global Employee Survey," EY, 2021).

Beware of the "all or nothing" approach

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to workplace flexibility.

Understanding the needs of various employee segments in the organization is critical to the success of a flexible work program.

Working parents want more flexibility

82%

of working mothers desire flexibility in where they work.

48%

of working fathers "want to work remotely 3 to 5 days a week."

Historically underrepresented groups value more flexibility

38%

"Thirty-eight percent of Black male employees and 33% of Black female employees would prefer a fully flexible schedule, compared to 25% of white female employees and 26% of white male employees."
(Slack, 2022; N=10,818)

33%

Workplace flexibility must be customized to the organization to avoid longer working hours and heavy workloads that impact employee wellbeing

84%

of remote workers and 61% of onsite workers reported working longer hours post pandemic. Longer working hours were attributed to reasons such as pressure from management and checking emails after working hours (Indeed, 2021).

2.6x

Respondents who either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "Generally, I find my workload reasonable" were 2.6x more likely to be engaged compared to those who stated they disagreed or strongly disagreed (McLean & Company Engagement Survey Database;2022; N=5,615 responses).

Longer hours and unsustainable workloads can contribute to stress and burnout, which is a threat to employee engagement and retention. With careful management (e.g. setting clear expectations and establishing manageable workloads), flexible work arrangement benefits can be preserved.

Info-Tech Insight

Employees' lived experiences and needs determine if people use flexible work programs – a flex program that has limited use or excludes people will not benefit the organization.

Develop a flexible work program that meets employee and organizational needs

This is an image of a sample flexible work program which meets employee and organizational needs.

Insight summary

Overarching insight: IT excels at hybrid location work and is more effective as a business function when location, time, and time-off flexibility are an option for its employees.

Introduction

Step 1 insight

Step 2 insight

Step 3 insight

  • Flexible work options are not a concession to lower productivity. Properly implemented, flex work enables employees to be more productive at reaching business goals.
  • Employees' lived experiences and needs determine if people use flexible work programs – a flex program that has limited use or excludes people will not benefit the organization.
  • Flexible work benefits everyone. IT employees experience greater engagement, motivation, and company loyalty. IT organizations realize benefits such as better service coverage, reduced facilities costs, and increased productivity.
  • Hybrid work is a start. A comprehensive flex work program extends beyond flexible location to flexible time and time off. Organizations must understand the needs of unique employee groups to uncover the options that will attract and retain talent. Provide greater inclusivity to employees by broadening the scope to include flex location, flex time, and flex time off.
  • No two employee segments are the same. To be effective, flexible work options must align with the expectations and working processes of each segment.
  • Every role is eligible for hybrid location work. If onsite work duties prevent an employee group from participating, see if processes can be digitized or automated. Flexible work is an opportunity to go beyond current needs to future proofing your organization.
  • Flexible work options must balance organizational and employee needs. If an option is beneficial to employees but there is little or no benefit to the organization, or if the cost of the option is too high, it will not support the long-term success of the organization.
  • Prioritize flexible work options that employees want. Providing too many options often leads to information overload and results in employees not understanding what is available, lowering adoption of the flexible work program.
  • Leaders' collective support of the flexible program determines the program's successful adoption. Don't sweep cultural barriers under the rug; acknowledge and address them to overcome them.
  • Negative performance of a flexible work option does not necessarily mean failure. Take the time to evaluate whether the option simply needs to be tweaked or whether it truly isn't working for the organization.
  • A set of formal guidelines for IT ensures flexible work is:
    1. Administered fairly across all IT employees.
    2. Defensible and clear.
    3. Scalable to the rest of the organization.

Case Study

Expanding hybrid work at Info-Tech

Challenge

In 2020, Info-Tech implemented emergency work-from-home for its IT department, along with the rest of the organization. Now in 2023, hybrid work is firmly embedded in Info-Tech's culture, with plans to continue location flexibility for the foreseeable future.

Adjusting to the change came with lessons learned and future-looking questions.

Lessons Learned

Moving into remote work was made easier by certain enablers that had already been put in place. These included issuing laptops instead of desktops to the user base and using an existing cloud-based infrastructure. Much support was already being done remotely, making the transition for the support teams virtually seamless.

Continuing hybrid work has brought benefits such as reduced commuting costs for employees, higher engagement, and satisfaction among staff that their preferences were heard.

Looking Forward

Every flexible work implementation is a work in progress and must be continually revisited to ensure it continues to meet organizational and employee needs. Current questions being explored at Info-Tech are:

  • The concept of the "office as a tool" – how does use of the office change when it is used for specific collaboration-related tasks, rather than everything? How should the physical space change to support this?
  • What does a viable replacement for quick hallway meetings look like in a remote world where communication is much more deliberate? How can managers adjust their practices to ensure the benefits of informal encounters aren't lost?

Info-Tech offers various levels of support to best suit your needs

DIY Toolkit

“Our team has already made this critical project a priority, and we have the time and capability, but some guidance along the way would be helpful.”

Guided Implementation

“Our team knows that we need to fix a process, but we need assistance to determine where to focus. Some check-ins along the way would help keep us on track.”

Workshop

“We need to hit the ground running and get this project kicked off immediately. Our team has the ability to take this over once we get a framework and strategy in place.”

Consulting

“Our team does not have the time or the knowledge to take this project on. We need assistance through the entirety of this project.”

Diagnostics and consistent frameworks used throughout all four options

Guided Implementation

What does a typical GI on this topic look like?

Preparation

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Follow-up

Call #1: Scope requirements, objectives, and your specific challenges.

Call #2: Assess employee and organizational needs.

Call #3: Shortlist flex work options and assess feasibility.

Call #4: Finalize flex work options and create rollout plan.

Call #5: (Optional) Review rollout progress or evaluate pilot success.

A Guided Implementation (GI) is a series of calls with an Info-Tech analyst to help implement our best practices in your organization.

A typical GI is 3 to 5 calls over the course of 4 to 6 months.

Workshop Overview

Contact your account representative for more information.
workshops@infotech.com 1-888-670-8889

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Activities

Prepare to assess flex work feasibility

Assess flex work feasibility

Finalize flex work options

Prepare for implementation

Next Steps and Wrap-Up (offsite)

1.1 Identify employee and organizational needs.

1.2 Identify employee segments.

1.3 Establish program goals and metrics.

1.4 Shortlist flex work options.

2.1 Conduct employee/manager focus groups to assess feasibility of flex work options.

3.1 Finalize list of approved flex work options.

3.2 Brainstorm solutions to implementation issues.

3.2 Identify how to overcome cultural barriers.

4.1 Design employee and manager guide prototype.

4.2 Align HR programs and policies to support flexible work.

4.3 Create a communication plan.

5.1 Complete in-progress deliverables from previous four days.

5.2 Set up review time for workshop deliverables and to discuss next steps.

Deliverables
  1. Organizational context summary
  2. List of shortlisted flex work options
  1. Summary of flex work options' feasibility per employee segment
  1. 1.Final list of flex work options
  2. 2.Implementation barriers and solutions summary
  1. Employee and manager guide to flexible work
  2. Flex work roadmap and communication plan
  1. Completed flexible work feasibility workbook
  2. Flexible work communication plan

Step 1

Assess employee and organizational needs

1. Assess employee and organizational flexibility needs
2. Identify potential flex options and assess feasibility
3. Implement selected option(s)

After completing this step you will have:

  • Identified key stakeholders and their responsibilities
  • Uncovered the current and desired state of the organization
  • Analyzed feedback to identify flexibility challenges
  • Identified and prioritized employee segments
  • Determined the program goals
  • Identified the degree of flexibility for work location, timing, and deliverables
Develop a Targeted Flexible Work Program for IT visualization

Select flexible work options that balance organizational and employee needs to drive engagement and improve attraction and retention.

About Info-Tech

Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.

We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

What Is a Blueprint?

A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst

Get the help you need in this 1-phase advisory process. You'll receive 5 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.

  • Call 1: Scope requirements, objectives, and your specific challenges.
  • Call 2: Assess employee and organizational needs.
  • Call 3: Shortlist flex work options and assess feasibility.
  • Call 4: Finalize flex work options and create rollout plan.
  • Call 5: (Optional) Review rollout progress or evaluate pilot success.

Author

Jane Kouptsova

Contributors

  • Judi Casey, WorkLife Consultant and former Director, Work and Family Researchers Network, Boston College
  • Dr. David Chalmers, Adjunct Professor, Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University
  • Stephen Childs, CHRO, Panasonic North America
  • Carol Cochran, Director of People & Culture, FlexJobs
  • Lilian De Menezes, Professor of Decision Sciences, Cass Business School, University of London
  • Chris Frame, Partner – Operations, LiveCA
  • Shawn Gibson, Sr. Director, Info Tech Research Group
  • Teresa Hopke, SVP of Client Relations, Life Meets Work – www.lifemeetswork.com
  • Kidde Kelly, OD Practitioner
  • Shari Lava, Director, Vendor Research, Info-Tech Research Group
  • Don MacLeod, Chief Administrative Officer, Zorra Township
  • Dr. Kenneth Matos, Senior Director of Research, Families and Work Institute
  • Claire McCartney, Diversity & Inclusion Advisor, CIPD
  • Kashmira Nagarwala, Change Manager, Siemens Canada
  • Lee Nguyen, HR Specialist, City of Austin
  • Heather Payne, CEO, Juno College
  • Quinn Ross, CEO, The Ross Firm Professional Corporation
  • Mari Ryan, CEO/Founder, Advancing Wellness
  • Stacey Spruell, Division HR Director, Travis County
  • Rose M. Stanley, CCP, CBP, WLCP, CEBS, People Services Manager, Sunstate Equipment Co., LLC
  • Mark Tippey, IT Leader and Experienced Teleworker
  • Kim Velluso, VP Human Resources, Siemens Canada
  • Sophie Wade, Founder, Flexcel Networks
  • Margaret Yap, HR Professor, Ryerson University
  • Dr. Isik U. Zeytinoglu, Professor of Management and Industrial Relations McMaster University, DeGroote School of Business
  • Anonymous Contributor

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