I was at an Modernising Employment APPG event at the Houses of Commons yesterday, listening to an expert panel sharing their research and insights of the benefits of giving employees more autonomy in the workplace, including work from Lizzie Penny and Alex Hirst of Hoxby.
The self-employed are at the sharp-end of autonomy, and I think there’s a great deal which employers and employees could learn from freelancers, in unlocking the benefits, but also navigating the challenges, of autonomy at work.
1/ Clarity of scope - freelancers will agree upfront what work needs to be done, and then be given the space to deliver it with excellence within a timebox. Employees often have open ended objectives that are vague, and spread over the course of a year.
2/ High Value, High Impact - when busy, freelancers might be juggling multiple projects, multiple clients, so we get very good at triaging high value, high impact work, aligned to clear goals. Employees don’t always have the opportunity to choose which tasks they work on.
3/ Working Context - freelancers have control over working in the places and spaces, during their most effective hours, and in the their most effective way, and have developed a good understanding of what/where/when/how they do their best work. but most employees get told how/when/where to work.
4/ Balancing immediacy with longer-term - freelancers need to continually mix tasks which are important and urgent for their clients, with investment into growing their own business over time. This understanding of _sustainable_ work, not just urgent work, ensures they continue to grow over time.
More control over ones work is one of the biggest drivers of the shift to self-employment, and for the longest time, I’ve said people who are thinking about self-employment shouldn’t assume that they can’t resolve the issues in employment to see the benefits they want to explore.
Many employers are open to offering more autonomy, control over ones work, where/when/how - and offering this to employees is a clear opportunity to create business value AND keep some of your best people, who might be looking for more control in their work.
