At the height of the coronavirus pandemic in April, 46.6% of adults in employment in the UK were doing some work from home. This figure is expected to rise in the coming years as more workplaces adapt and see the benefits that a flexible approach to the traditional 9-5 can bring.
School board meetings are currently almost exclusively being held online. Governors around the country have got to grips with dialling in on video calls to discuss their termly agendas. We expect to see most schools revert back to face to face meetings, but the shift to the new way of working has also opened up the possibility of a more flexible future for school governance.
The ‘new normal’
As we adapt to our changing environment, many businesses are considering the return to the office and how it may look.
Will we see school governance evolve gradually towards a more flexible future where online meetings become the norm?
Is flexi-governance the future?
There are compelling cases both for volunteers and schools alike to consider flexi governance.
For schools, flexi-governance provides an opportunity to consider a larger pool of volunteers. For example, a school board in Blackpool with a skills gap in finance may find it difficult to find a volunteer with the knowledge they need. Flexi-governance could enable the board to look further afield – a KPMG employee living in London but who grew up in the town could bring the skills the board needs, remotely.
For volunteers, flexi-governance provides the opportunity to give back to the community they grew up in, without having to travel miles to attend meetings. Many people feel a lifelong connection to their hometown, so flexi-governance gives them the same opportunities to make a difference with the skills and experiences they’ve gathered since leaving.
A renewed focus on community
One of the positives to come out of the last 4 months is a renewed sense of the significance of helping others. People from all over the country have helped create a support network within the communities they live and work.
For those thinking about how give back to their hometowns, flexi-governance is a chance to do just that. The shift to working from home and holding remote governing board meetings has shown this new way of working is possible – and we’re here to support schools and volunteers throughout the journey.