The impact of flexible working on productivity, wellbeing and effectiveness of workers in the ACT Public Service

How public services use flexible work is a key issue as they adapt to post-pandemic world. Flexibility and how and where public servants work is an employee value proposition question; by responding to the needs of a diverse workforce, the public service can attract the best talent in an increasingly competitive market. Flexible working is also a matter of strategic foresight, ensuing an innovative, agile public service that can quickly adapt to crisis and uncertain futures.

The Australian Capital Territory Public Service (ACTPS) is transforming the way it works and provides services to the community, including trailing new approaches and making significant investments in infrastructure and technology to support flexible working. This research uses the ACTPS as a case study to explore the factors that enable effective flexible working in the public sector, including technology, the built environment, and managerial and organisational support.

The research aims answer three questions:

1. How have employees used different locations, timing, technologies and communication tools to support their flexible working practices?

2. How does the utilisation of technology, location, timing and communication tools vary across the range of occupations and demographic groups?

3. How can the ACTPS empower and support managers and employees to optimise the effectiveness of flexible working across the full range of employees?

The research focuses on office-based, knowledge workers within the ACTPS, whose largely autonomous way of working is generally suited to flexible working. The research adopts a mixed-methods approach, gathering qualitative data from meetings and focus group discussions with human resource managers and public servants. The qualitative data were validated through secondary analysis of existing quantitative data about the use of dedicated activity-based buildings and offices, Microsoft 365 metadata as an indicator of digital work behaviours (e.g. sending emails, authoring documents, meeting online, etc.), and perceptions of middle managers and employees collected from the ACTPS employee census.

• Public servants use flexible working to complete digital activities outside standard work hours (early span, before 8:00am or late span, after 6:00pm). The flexibility of how and when to work can accommodate work-life balance or optimise productivity by aligning work activity with peak energy levels for that individual.
• Public servants value the opportunity to work flexibly. A key recruitment and retention factor for the ACTPS is continuing to provide employees flexibility and choice in timing and location of work.
• Technology is an essential baseline factor for supporting effective flexible working; however, it is insufficient on its own for facilitating knowledge sharing, collaboration or communication within and across teams. Failure to address this poses risks for employee wellbeing and intensifying fragmentation and silo mentalities.
• Team size is a key factor shaping the use of technology, with effective knowledge sharing, collaboration or communication at risk in very small and large teams. This is due to a lack of perceived need to work with others to achieve outputs.
• Middle managers and supervisors play a central role in the effective implementation of flexible working; they adapt, model and embed the mentalities, practices and people management capabilities needed for flexible working.
• Flexible working exacerbates and accentuates existing managerial styles, highlighting fragility in a model that relies on individuals and the need for more focused and proactive management development.

Figure 1: Digitally active hours by time and day

There are four essential elements for public sector agencies to incorporate when optimising flexible working.