What we have learned on the creation of an ambitious work-from-home strategy

Another article about how to implement a work-from-home policy? Yes, but not just that. Since the pandemic, teleworking has gained momentum... But several years later, many companies are still trying to establish a sustainable framework for this relatively new practice in the long-term HR landscape.

This article is primarily intended to share our insights from the past three years of implementing a work-from-home strategy so that other companies can improve their processes or create their own.

Indeed, how can working from home be made sustainable in a professional context that has now returned to normal? How can you successfully adapt to your unique company context and take it to the next level? Anne Le Bruchec, Chief People Officer at JobTeaser, reveals the behind-the-scenes of the teleworking and flexibility project she led at JobTeaser. More than 6 months of work, 35 interviews, and 13 external benchmarks allowed her to build an ambitious policy that is still in place several years later. 

5 things to remember

Take your time

With the benefit of hindsight from a return to normalcy, the sudden shift to remote work in March 2020 represents one of the most profound transformations the world of work has witnessed in recent times. We chose to take our time and reflect upon what this could mean for us. During  six months of introspection, we went beyond merely considering the preferred mode of work; we delved into the essence of our employees' dedication, motivation, and sense of belonging.

Be transparant

When announcing a potential change in your teleworking policy, many questions will arise, potentially accompanied by frustrations or impatience. Therefore, communication is key. Be transparant about your decisions. 

Implicate your managers from the start

Engage your managers and social partners right from the inception of the transformation, as teleworking is closely linked to well-being, engagement, and quality of work life (QWL) issues. Our Employee Representative Committee (CSE) played a pivotal role in the project, and an elected employee representative was an integral part of the project team.

Test the system before you go all in

Detangle the project by adopting an experimental approach: we chose to test our model for one year, which allowed us to be make changes rapidly when needed.

Make it collective 

Avoid viewing teleworking as an individual matter. It is a choice and a team, department, and company-wide way of operating. It requires establishing an effective collective working approach that involves adjusting communication, interaction, and work processes within the organization.

Protect your DNA

Ensure the preservation of your company's DNA. At JobTeaser, we realized while working remotely how essential our local bar, the post-meeting beers, and all the moments of camaraderie and informality were to our performance. Nevertheless, we also found that we had all acquired a key skill in remote team management. Thus, it became necessary to strike the right balance between preserving our culture and work atmosphere while also reinforcing the efficiency and agility gained after months of lockdown.

Implementing a work from home (WFH) strategy

Step 1 - Identify what is needed

The first step was to understand how our employees felt. In May 2020, we launched a survey to find out how our employees were experiencing remote work: was this new way of working suitable for them? What were their suggestions? How did they feel about this change in terms of balance between private and professional life? We already observed a difference between different professions: some, including developers and more generally our technical profiles, adapted very well to teleworking, while other groups suffered from the lack of contact. Ultimately, the first lockdown did not seem to us to be a tangible period of analysis, given the difficulty of this period for some of our collaborators.

The right balance between preserving our culture and work atmosphere - Anne LE BRUCHEC (HR Director of JobTeaser)

In July 2020, we renewed this survey to more finely analyze the change in practices among our collaborators and to precisely question their new expectations. To complement this approach, we conducted 35 qualitative interviews with employees and managers, to delve deeper into the results of our survey. The idea was to move beyond the feelings from the 3 months of confinement and to project ourselves in the long term.

Lessons learned

• If necessary, it is useful to repeatedly seek employees' opinions in order not to be influenced by the external context.
• It is good to combine a quantitative and qualitative approach, in order to gain finer interpretation.
• One should not underestimate this first essential step to legitimize subsequent decision-making.

Read on our blog: Build your company's culture to increase the growth of your business with our complete guide

Step 2 - The creation of 4 scenarios, linked to (a multitude of) different teams

Once we had a good idea of how our employees felt, it was time to get started. In November, we began to build our approach through 4 scenarios:

The creation of 4 teleworking scenarios

These 4 models of teleworking intensity, from least to most open, allowed us to position ourselves. To refine it, we compared the minimum framework we wanted to establish with everyone's ambition:

• We therefore conducted a monitoring and benchmarking of companies similar to our size (Datadock, Manomano, Payfit, Ornicar, for example). These companies had various levels of openness to remote work, however, each demonstrated a movement towards more flexible practices.
• We also conducted about fifteen interviews, involving our Economic and Social Committee (CSE) and our Executive Committee.
• We analyzed the feedback received in light of these 4 scenarios, to understand the impact of teleworking situations on performance, especially of our sales teams.

These steps allowed us to refine our hypotheses. Whereas in May 2020, we thought we were on a rather closed model, we realized that in 6 months, we had become more ambitious. We chose the most open model.

Lessons learned

• Setting an analytical framework based on several scenarios is essential to position ourselves: we were also able to do significant statistical work to identify trends and see where people stood in each survey conducted.
• Involving stakeholders with different postures (management, CSE, external parties) helps to validate the approach and ensure that there are no 'blind spots'. We deliberately favored a collegial approach on this topic, where employees, managers, top management, elected officials, could bring their insights and participate in the decision-making process.

Step 3 - Commitment to a remote work policy and communication

In December 2020, we were ready to launch: we positioned ourselves with a proposal for a «flexible workplace». In January, we communicated our new work organization framework to all our employees. From then on, we had to quickly implement the operational part of the project (telework charter, Q&A addressed to our employees, etc.) One element that helped us reduce the pressure level in the face of such a structuring project was announcing that we were going to test our model for 1 year: this allows us to calmly approach the operational implementation of the project. We made sure that our telework policy opened up possibilities and was neither too restrictive nor disconnected from our current practices.

Lessons learned

• It is necessary to equip managers, who are essential relays for the successful implementation of a telework project. This includes providing them with interview grids to evaluate requests for full remote work, a specific Q&A to answer all employee questions, and dedicated training for managers on Remote Management.
• Consider the logistical aspect. For example, we offered financial assistance to ensure that the remote workstation was satisfactory and allowed our employees to equip themselves (with a desk, chair, screen, etc.).
• Finally, test your formula to evolve it if needed.

Step 4 - Measure the impact of telework and test the robustness of the system

In November, we conducted a survey among our employees to regularly take the pulse of the climate, engagement, and well-being of our employees. This quarterly survey aims to detect and prevent any sudden changes in the climate. The priority now is to rethink the presence of employees in the office.

Then, we envisioned an organization in flex office, with a domino effect between our offices in Paris and the provinces. We made sure to well integrate our employees, both within our headquarters (flex office, etc.) and between our various offices (mix between changing office affiliation, regular travel to our international offices, change of country of residence...). This opens doors, erases geographical barriers.

See the KPIs to follow the effectiveness of your recruitments on our blog

Lessons learned

• Telework plays out at the team level. For example, if someone wants to go full remote, we conduct a structured evaluation process by asking for the team's opinion.
• It's important to continue measuring the impact of the project to adjust it and anticipate future trends related to geographical mobility.
• And do not underestimate the logistical aspect, as it has a real impact on workspace management and the symbolic place that offices hold.

Conclusion 

What we take away from this telework project is that taking our time allowed us to be more ambitious. We would have opted for a less flexible model if we hadn't taken this step back. The perception of this project has evolved a lot over time, and a long-term reflection was essential. Today, we also feel among our candidates that our flexible working conditions are an asset.

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