Hold up – Flexible Work Location?

If you have read our recent post on offering flexible hours at your workplace, this post will flow nicely into some more thoughts for you…

I am sure you have heard that many companies are offering flexible work locations.  That is that they allow their employees to be able to work from home or run a satellite office.

No way Jose!

Are your feet stuck?  Can’t see allowing your employees the ability to do this?

Why?  What’s the concern?  I know, I know….you are afraid they won’t do the work….that they might sleep in….say they are working but productivity will go down the drain.  How can you “watch” them to ensure they are working?  I get it….and we will talk about this, but first, let’s look at some benefits to the employee.

Employee Benefits:

1. If they have a commute, they will spend less time doing this and possibly put more time into work.
2. They will be happier employees.
3. They have the ability to have more control over when their work is done, meaning, they might choose to put in work hours in the evening or early morning to allow for some flexibility in their afternoon.
4. There may be less disruptions from the natural environment of an office setting, increasing productivity.
5. Improved work life balance.

Ok….I know, you are waiting to understand the benefits for the employer…so hang tight, here you go…

Employer Benefits:

1. You may be able to reduce budget put toward things like desks, office space…etc.
2. Your employee morale might go up…and even your absenteeism rate might be impacted in a positive manner.
3. Increased productivity.
4. Increased attraction for quality job applicants.

But but but…..stop with the buts….let’s look at how you manage this so that your concerns are diminished.

Managing the flexible work location arrangement:

1. Ensure you set clear boundaries and expectations on what this privilege entails. Make it clear that if productivity is a concern, and if there are not improvements if these concerns are noted, that this privilege may be taken away.
2. Ensure there are clear communication tools for your managers and employees to make contact and make regular contact.
3. Don’t forget about team building – this is still important, even if the majority of your employees are working remotely.
4. Ensure your managers hold employees accountable for their work commitments, hitting deadlines and their overall productivity.
5. Continue with meetings, regular meetings – involve remote employees via Skype or other conferencing tools so that there is still some “face to face” interaction.
6. Don’t forget that your off-site employees are still employees – involve them in everything you involve your in-house employees in – find a way.

Let us know the benefits this has had in your workplace – share this post on Social Media – tag us or email us with your stories!