I was at a BBQ on the weekend, and we had a lengthy discussion around the idea of flexible working. There were five people in this discussion, all of whom worked in offices,with traditional Monday to Friday roles. I am always interested in understanding the perspectives of others when it comes to flexible working because I do think that it is an area where there is a lot of discussion around how this really works in practice. 

This is becoming more relevant with recent moves to have more staff who once were remote or hybrid workers being forced back into the office for a minimum number of days each week. 

There were four main approaches taken here in the BBQ discussion, and I do think that these four approaches are ones that are widely held views. So I wanted to break these down and share which of these ideas I think are good ways to manage flexible working and which I think need to be left behind. 

It is also important to note that all the five people in this discussion are managers and in positions to be able to set expectations around flexible work. I want to also say here that I have saved the best approach til last. 

I have another friend who also manages a team and she also follows quite a strict approach to her team being at their desk. When one of her staff needed to wait for a package, they asked to come in an hour later than normal. This staff member was normally very punctual and a good team member, however the request to come in late was denied due to the inflexible nature of the overall approach. After that, my friend was wondering why her team started to slack off and that one staff member began unperforming. The issue here was that there was no understanding that life happens and a very strict “always at your desk” policy can reduce productivity and morale. 

This is the backbone of workplace culture – if you are creating this rigid and unmovable framework you are not going to be encouraging your staff to go over and above. You are not supporting autonomy because you are not giving your team the opportunity to show that they know how to manage their time and their workload. This breeds a culture of slacking off – which ironically is the reason for the strict time frame to begin with.

One rule for you, one rule for me

One BBQ guest follows a similar approach to the no flexible work option. This team did not have the absolute rigidity of strictly 8am – 4pm, however the approach that no one is allowed to work from home is the same, with the expectation that all staff are in the office each day. However, the exception to the rule is the manager who can work at home if they feel like it. But not only that, they can start late, finish early – whatever they need to facilitate their family. But to be clear, this flexibility is only afforded to the head of the team – no one else. 

This is a dangerous game to play. The issues that I just outlined around creating a poor organisational culture due to a lack of trust are only going to be compounded in this situation. Of all the suggestions on remote and hybrid work, this is the one to avoid.  There is no positive outcome where staff have their flexibility taken away but the team lead can do what they need to – this is what creates not just poor organisational culture but a truly toxic environment. 

Dedicated work from home days

This is a very popular approach, and one that definitely works for a lot of teams. This is the idea where you have set days in the office and set work from home days. For example, Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the office and Tuesday and Thursday from home. This creates a consistent schedule which can be really supportive of both what the organisation needs and what the team member needs. 

Being clear around when you will be coming into the office can help with organising meetings, planning activities and building relationships with the team. Similarly, if someone knows they will be at home consistently on certain days, it can help them plan their life admin if they need to – like the collection of the package example. 

This is especially great for working parents who need some flexibility with collecting children from school or daycare – knowing that you have the option to pop out to collect your children while working gives families support that enables them to show up both at work and at home. 

If you are a manager or team lead and looking at how to start building flexible work options for your team, this is the approach I would suggest that you start with. Talk to your team about what works for them, even if it is just one day a week from home to start with.

As leaders this might be hard to consider – letting go of control and trusting that your team will still work if you are not physically in the same space. However in my experience teams will continue to work well, and even deliver better, if there is understanding shown towards different situations. 

Get the Job Done

This is the most forward-thinking approach when it comes to flexible work, and I have to say the one that personally I like the most. You might be surprised to know that 2 out of the 5 BBQ attendees use this method, and both have exceptionally high performing teams. 

What I am calling the “Get the Job Done” approach is very straightforward – you can work at any time as long as you get the job done. So this might mean you want to work for a few hours on Sunday morning at home and then stop working from Wednesday lunch. It has extreme flexibility and allows for life to really be accomodated. The big caveat is that the work still needs to be done within expected time frames. 

This approach is one that works really well for my husband and I. I am a natural early bird, and wake up at 5.30am each day and work until about 7.30, where I then take a break and pick it up again at about 9.30. I then finish up at 3.00pm. 

My husband, on the other hand, is a night owl. He sleeps in, starting his work at about 10am. He works til the late afternoon, takes a break, has dinner and spends time with his family. He then starts work again at about 9.00pm and works til 11.00pm. 

These rhythms work for us because they are aligned to our own natural tendencies. I would never be able to work til 11pm because I would be asleep at the table. Similarly, my husband could never get his brain functioning at 5.30am. 

The hardest part of the “get it done” approach is leaders feeling as though they are losing control of their teams. However the opposite is usually true. If you hire the right people and give them the right tools with the right motivation, this method actually works really well. 

And don’t be fooled by managers saying “well that won’t work because we all have to be available to meet to discuss things.” Of course people are available at more “traditional” work hours to meet with other team members, but that doesn’t mean that they have to get the job done in a time that doesn’t align to when they are at their best. This idea of flexibility cultivates excellence because it is giving teams the chance to create the optimal framework. 

The idea of the Monday to Friday 9 to 5 was created around what is known as the “ideal employee.” This ideal employee doesn’t have a family to take care of or other priorities to juggle. In 2025, this ideal employee simply doesn’t exist. It is time to stop behaving as though we all need to be at our desks for 8 hours a day, and start recognising the value that extreme workplace flexibility really delivers.