Imagine conquering your toughest work tasks when you feel most productive. Think about an extra day to yourself each week to check on an aging parent or volunteer for a cause you care about. Consider the look on your child’s face when you slide into the bleachers to watch their game on a Tuesday afternoon. 

Flexible work policies help make these scenarios a reality for public health workers. Offering team members some control over where, when, and how they work helps them balance job, family, and personal demands. A 2021 study on Work Flexibility and Work-Related Well-Being, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found that workers with flexibility in their work location and work hours experienced increased engagement and job satisfaction.  

Flexible work policies can also benefit your organization. Engaged workers are often the most productive team members. Flexibility is also a powerful tool for recruiting new employees and retaining an experienced public health workforce. 

“Flexibility is always listed as one of the top reasons people stay with us on our annual satisfaction survey,” said Erin Sorensen, human resources coordinator for the Panhandle Public Health District (PPHD) in Hemingford, Nebraska.  

Flexibility defined 

Sorensen oversees payroll, benefits, and workforce development for the 43 employees who serve more than 85,000 residents in 12 counties in the Nebraska panhandle. PPHD’s geographic coverage area is just under 15,000 square miles. Most employees work at one of two office locations, while some are fully remote and others follow a hybrid schedule, she said. 

As in many workplaces, new flexible work arrangements were a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of those changes have remained and become workplace norms, according to Sorensen. 

“During COVID, everyone worked remotely,” she said. “That’s when we saw the advantages of remote work as we were trying to recruit and hire people. We could now reach qualified candidates who’d be great in certain roles but who lived in small rural communities that were too far away to drive. We’ve really evolved to have an open mind about workers being remote if they can.” 

Today, PPHD offers remote work, flex time, and compressed work week options for many employees. “We do have some positions where employees need to be in the office, especially in our clinic,” she said. “But we also allow employees to flex their time. Sixty hours per biweekly pay period is considered full time for us. We generally meet people where they are in how they want to work, as long as the arrangement meets our needs and their needs.” 

Meeting employees where they are is also a guiding principle for Megan Avallone, MS, RN, CIC, director of the Westfield Regional Health Department (WRHD) in Westfield, New Jersey. Most WRHD employees work a 35-hour week, she said. 

“For the most part, I let them pick and choose what that looks like,” Avallone said. “Some people come in early and leave early, especially if they have childcare situations. We also do one day a week working from home. Everybody can work from home except for those who need to be physically present.” 

Flexibility has played a critical role in keeping employees, according to Avallone. “Staff have told me that even when higher-paid positions come up, they don’t leave because they’re so appreciative of how much flexibility they have,” she said. “Governmental public health workers aren’t paid their full value nationwide. I can’t change salaries, but offering flexibility is something I can control.” 

Clear expectations 

Avallone noted that the agency’s unique structure lets her offer maximum flexibility to employees. The agency is a department within the Town of Westfield, but Avallone reports to the Board of Health. She’s not bound by the Town’s work policies, which don’t include flexible options. “I’m lucky enough to be able to run my department as I see fit,” she said. “The staff here understand and appreciate that.” 

The agency doesn’t have many formal policies around flexible work. “I’m putting myself out there by allowing things that generally aren’t endorsed by the bigger structure of the town,” Avallone said. But that doesn’t mean anything goes, she noted — all employees know they must rise to the needs of the agency and the community. 

“If you’re working from home, and there’s a terrible storm or a situation where we need all hands on deck, you’re expected to come in,” she said. “That’s happened several times, and nobody gives us a problem.” 

Employees are held to the agency’s expectations for work quality and output. All divisions abide by clear expectations of what teams must accomplish during specific time frames. “We have those conversations regularly to help keep everybody on task,” Avallone said.  

Policies and process 

Panhandle Public Health takes a different approach, with comprehensive policies and a defined process for flexible work requests and approvals. Employees seeking remote work must talk to their supervisor and then make a formal request, which is reviewed by PPHD’s nine-member leadership team. If approved, employees enter a three-month trial period to ensure the arrangement works for both the employee and the agency. 

“When we created our remote work policy, there was a lot of thoughtful discussion because there was some apprehension,” Sorensen said. “People were wary about changing how we do things because we know the importance of being together and of not being on calls all the time.” 

Establishing processes helps ensure fairness and foster collaboration. “I can see how in a big organization, if you’re too flexible, it can become hard to manage,” Sorensen said. She also recommends framing flexibility as a privilege, not a guarantee. 

“That leaves room to adjust if there are issues that arise,” she said. “For example, if you’re not communicating with your supervisor and you’re just coming and going as you please.” 

But flexible work arrangements also require health departments to be flexible in their policies at times. “These are conversations,” Sorensen said. “You do it until it doesn’t work and then you have to add more policies and procedures.” 

Key Takeaways for Flexible Work Arrangements 

  • Ask employees. Different team members have different needs. A survey can help you decide which options to offer. 
  • Define and refine. Be clear about what’s allowed and what isn’t. Policies are the guard rails that make flexibility work. 
  • Prioritize communication. Regular check-ins and shared calendars keep expectations clear, avoid resentments, and help ensure adequate coverage. 
  • Expect the unexpected. Bad weather or sick kids can mean changes to work schedules and locations. Make sure teams know how to adjust. 
  • Confirm tools and technology. Equipment and appropriate connectivity speeds are must-haves for remote workers. 
  • Foster reciprocity. Team members who have each other’s backs help make flexible arrangements work.