“We’ve had our Better Ways of Working policy adopted in Newbury [Vodafone's headquarters] for a number of years now. Where it is used we did surveys pre- and post-implementation on pride at working for Vodafone, and we know that once we’ve introduced Better Ways of Working we see quite a significant shift in how people feel,” said Hayes.
Vodafone’s ‘Better Ways of Working’ philosophy comprises of three key principles: flexible location, flexible hours and flexible environments.
“It’s not just traditional flexible working in terms of the hours; we’ve tried to look at a more holistic approach,” Hayes explained. “Part of the reason for us doing that is because we recognise everybody has very different needs from the world of work now. With five generations in the workplace it’s particularly difficult to have a one-size-fits-all approach.
“The customer must come first in everything we do, so by flexible location we mean our employees can work from a customer site – it could be from another of our offices around the UK, or it could be working from home.”
Hayes added: “We have a very 24/7 lifestyle now, and people don’t want the rigidity of going into the same place of work Monday to Friday, nine to five, because that no longer fits into their lifestyle needs. So I think employees value a more fluid approach to working. It becomes much more about what you’ve delivered rather than presenteeism.
“That’s very much what we’re aiming for. It’s about your contribution, and not necessarily just considering the time when you’re in the office.”
