Whether or not you’re a dog lover, you may have caught a glimpse over the weekend of the agility trials at Crufts. It might seem odd, but I think we could take a few tips from our canine companions when it comes to making our businesses quick to respond, confident in tackling new obstacles, and effective team workers.

However, as any dog owner will tell you, agility champions aren’t born, they’re made. It takes dedication and constant innovation to come out on top year after year.

With this in mind, could your business benefit from some agility training?

Agility is a buzzword that’s been around for a while now, and many businesses already incorporate agile elements such as sprints and flexible teams into their working practices. According to ‘The Agile Organisation’, agile working is based on the concept that work is an activity we do, rather than a place we go. The aim is to create a more responsive, efficient and effective organisation, which ultimately improves business performance and increases customer satisfaction.

Agile working is about operating business in a smarter way. This goes further than flexible working and takes shift working to a more dynamic level. It’s a partnership that ultimately ensures the business remains successful in a more challenging world.

Agility by business looks very different, but it is important to challenge the working practices and patterns you already have in place, by asking yourselves:

· How can we ensure we provide a continuous service, keep production moving, recruit the talent we need outside of our immediate location, or interact with our global colleagues in different time zones?

· How can we do that and benefit from cost reduction in terms of property space, travelling costs, reducing absenteeism and much more?

· How can we do that and ensure our employees reduce their travel times, improve their work/life balance, better their wellbeing, and increase engagement, two-way trust and respect?

· How can we manage reward linked to agile working?

Two quick examples

1. The idea that employees should prove their dedication by being glued to their desk from 9 to 5, Monday to Friday, is rightly falling out of favour. Employers’ attitude to working location has improved and it’s more than just working from home or hot desking. Team tables, drop-in zones, and renting external spaces are increasingly popular approaches. This flexibility attracts a different type of employee looking for a forward-thinking employer; this means wider business collaboration, higher productivity and easier talent attraction.

2. Innovation can also happen in the more traditional shift-working environment. Businesses are starting to apply ‘self-rostering’ and ‘shift swapping.’ This is where employees select their own hours within certain shift cover parameters and organise cover between themselves.

Adapting reward to take account of these developments is important. It could be a case of removing shift premiums and tapping into employees who are looking for different working hours to manage family requirements. Alternatively, simplify payments by creating another pay range that all shift workers will occupy – no matter what type of shift they are working.

At Innecto, we’ve had the pleasure of working with businesses that have changed some fundamentally ingrained practices to something far more dynamic. We’ve matched that innovation by creating a reward strategy which is truly best in show.

If you’d like some more good examples of agile working practices or would like to discuss reflecting these in your reward, email me at sarah.lardner@innecto.com or call 020 3457 0894.

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