Employee flexibility can have two different meanings:
1. Workplace Flexibility
It can encompass workplace arrangements like flextime (control over work hours), flexplace (remote or hybrid work), and compressed workweeks, with the goal of improving employee well-being, work-life balance, and job satisfaction, which are critical drivers of performance outcomes.
2. Individual Flexibility
It can also refer to an individual employee’s behavioral capacity to adjust to:
- Changing job demands;
- New work processes;
- Evolving priorities;
- Unexpected obstacles.
This type of flexibility is a key component of an employee’s professional competency and is often a desired attribute for high-performing, agile teams.
Measuring employee flexibility for performance management purposes
When measuring employee performance as it is impacted by workplace flexibility, the focus shifts from measuring hours logged to tracking quantifiable outcomes (e.g., projects completed, sales targets met, process efficiency).
When assessing employee performance in terms of individual flexibility, measurement is typically incorporated into annual reviews and 360-degree feedback processes. By using a 360° feedback software suite, HR professionals can more easily evaluate and measure observable behaviors such as the ability to integrate new tools and processes, the ability to find creative solutions and adjust plans, and the acquisition of a variety of skills to accommodate evolving goals.