Agile working has hit the ground running recently. Businesses have decided to adopt this trend in an effort to motivate employees, increase flexibility and instill trust in its staff. Here are some advantages and drawbacks:
Advantages
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Competitive business
Agile working gives a competitive edge to a business. Response times decrease when a business has more flexible hours incorporated into the work environment.
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Mobility and flexibility
One goal of agile working is to do away with presenteeism: the act of requiring employees to be present, whether or not they have presence of mind. Flexible working means employees become less restricted and can begin to move beyond the office walls.
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Reduced costs
Multiple employees using the same workspace decreases the need for extra real estate. Companies are able to cut workforce costs, all the while offering their employees flexibility, which in turn boosts productivity.
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Improved productivity
The theory goes: more work gets done when the lights stay on longer. But, employees are splitting long hours into shifts. Where group projects are frequent, an open, agile work space design promises easy group collaboration.
Cons
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Mismatched management
Agile working means a switch to self-managed employees. Managers still monitor, but they must adapt to the change in environment or end micromanaging to encourage an agile workforce.
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Territory disputes
Agile working means no assigned seating, but it is human nature to claim territory. An Australian company, Chiat/Day, was described as having ‘turf wars’ following an unsuccessful transition into agile working.
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Disgruntled employees
Not all employees are receptive though. Ben Collins of Business Insider describes why people hate it. Despite territory disputes, the passing of germs and having no space of your own are big off-putters.
Verdict
Favouring a shared environment may be considered workplace advancement, but the remnants of the cubicle world may cause a clash.
Consider the ability of your organisation to transform, and your commitment to that transformation. Only then can you begin to take advantage of the aspects of agile working that suits your business's needs.
[Note, this post was first published on 20/08/2013 but we've since updated it.]
