Model 3: Flexible Split

What is Flexible Split?

The worker must be in the office for a specific number of days each week (e.g. 3 days a week), and the worker decides which days. 

This model provides more flexibility and autonomy for workers, but there may be fewer opportunities to build relationships and make the most use of people’s skills. 

Focus on:

Workplace relationships – How can you foster connections between team members and across teams?

Opportunities for learning and development – How can you support each worker’s career development? How will you know what training and development they need?

Good job design – What is the best location for various job tasks?

Pros and cons of Flexible Split

The Flexible Split model is great for:

• Working undisturbed – Workers experience fewer negative impacts of work–life interferences because they choose which days they attend the office. 
• Opportunity to provide role clarity – Workers have more opportunities to be involved in determining their role than with other hybrid work models.  

But, there are also some things to watch out for:

• Proximity bias – Workers are less visible to managers and other team members, reducing opportunities to raise their profile.  
• Underdeveloped working arrangements – Workers may find it difficult to establish professional working relationships with team members and managers. It can also be difficult to receive high-quality feedback. 
• Less utilisation of skills – Reduced visibility also reduces opportunities to take on stimulating and challenging tasks. Work may also be poorly distributed among people and teams. 
• Fewer learning and development opportunities – Workers have fewer informal learning opportunities (e.g. from watching how others complete tasks).  

Suggested actions for workplaces adopting Flexible Split

Action 1: Cultivate workplace relationships.

• Create awareness and provide guidelines on proximity bias – e.g. to reduce the influence of chance on workers’ visibility. 
• Create opportunities for people to build social relationships – e.g. team lunches.

Action 2: Promote learning and development.

• Create opportunities for people to learn from each other – e.g. appoint people to act as mentors, coaches or subject matter experts.
• Create interpersonal learning opportunities – e.g. do a team building exercise that either fully in person or virtual, to avoid different dynamics depending on a worker's location. 

Action 3: Optimise job tasks. 

• Establish routines and practices to perform certain tasks in certain locations – e.g. tasks requiring deep concentration are best performed remotely, while tasks requiring collaboration are best performed on site. 
• Coordinate work locations based on the level of flexibility available to the team – e.g. use team meetings to encourage workers to regularly connect with others in the office.