As an employer, you want to bring out the best in your workers. One way to accomplish that is by giving them workplace flexibility, in which they can work when it, well, works for them. But if you’re new to the idea of telecommuting, remote work, and just the idea of flex in general, here’s a primer on what a flexible schedule is—and when to offer it to your employees.
Imagine a traditional 9-to-5 job. Your staffers arrive at their workplace at 9:00 a.m., work the entire day (sans a lunch hour or the assorted coffee break), and then wrap up their day by 5:00 p.m. Now, a flexible schedule is anything but that. By our definition, a flexible job is one that isn’t relegated to the 9-to-5, in-office grind. Flexible jobs can include telecommuting, remote, or virtual jobs. They can also be categorized as part-time positions, alternative schedules, freelance/gig/contract jobs, and even temporary assignments.
If you already have an in-office staff, you might be thinking, “My team works great. Why would I need to offer them a flexible schedule job?”
Here are a few reasons why it’s good to offer a flexible schedule to employees:
Your competitors are already doing it.
There is something to be said for keeping up with the proverbial Joneses, especially so in the workplace. After all, if your competitors are all offering flex, there’s probably a good explanation for it. Remember, even if you’ve been in business for years, it’s smart to keep an eye on what leaders in your industry are doing to see if it makes sense for your company, too. And in the case of flex, it’s better to implement a flexible work environment sooner rather than later, since you might wind up losing top talent to competitors who offer flexible work, and in turn, work-life balance.
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You’ve seen a decrease in productivity.
If you thought that the best way to get your workers to do their jobs was to have them in the office, think again. Again and again, studies have shown that the most productive workers are those who work outside of the workplace, not in it. If your workers’ days are getting swallowed up by meetings, office politics, and interruptions, you’re not doing them—or your company—a favor by having them report to the office. Giving them the flexibility to work where they want (and when) is a sure-fire way to boost productivity—and overall employee morale.
The technology is available.
Whether they realize it or not, most businesses have already begun the transition to cloud-based computing. Programs such as Google docs and apps like Slack make collaboration a virtual breeze. So chances are, your company already has the technology available to segue to a more remote work environment.
It’s getting too expensive to run a brick-and-mortar biz.
Have you ever considered how much it costs to actually have each and every one of your employees come in to work? Well, we can tell you how much you’d save if you let even just one person work remotely—about $11,000 annually! Now, multiple that by the amount of people on your team, and that number stands to easily hit six (or even seven) digits. By incorporating work flexibility (i.e., letting some or all of your staff work remotely), all of those expenses stay right they belong—in the company’s till.
Once you’ve considered the benefits of allowing your workers to have a flexible schedule job, here’s how to make it happen:
Start slow.
Many of your workers might rejoice at the idea of being able to work from home—and rightly so. Telecommuting is linked to increased employee engagement and a whole host of other benefits. That said, some of your staffers might be hesitant about remote work, particularly if they’ve never done it before. So speak with your staff about your intentions to offer flexible schedules and explain the benefits for both employer and employee. Address any concerns they might have (such as how they would conduct meetings, how they’d collaborate with each other, etc.) to make the transition seamless and successful.
Offer training.
If your company is already using all of the programs and tools that they would need for its workers to telecommute, that’s great. If not, it’s a good idea to train them ahead of time, while they are sill working in the office. Get them up-to-date on the latest software, apps, and so on, and offer training sessions to ensure that they know how to use them properly. Then, you can have a virtual day, where workers are still in the office but pretend to be working remotely. That means they aren’t allowed to stroll down the hall to ask a fellow colleague a question, but have to instead rely upon instant messaging, emails, or other programs. This can give them a sense of what it would be like to work remotely, but still within the safety of being in the office.
Conduct check-ins.
Once your workers are trained in how to navigate the world of remote work, it’s time to allow them to work remotely. You might opt for just Fridays to start, then up it to a few days a week. Heck, you might even go fully remote after experiencing all the benefits! But it’s a good idea to still have some scheduled check-ins on the calendar for the first few weeks and months to make sure that everything is going well with your newly minted remote workers! You can address any issues such as communication problems, tech issues, or even help them with the loneliness they might feel during the initial phase of telecommuting. Doing these things will help them feel connected to the company and help bring out the best in them.
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