In a word: Yes!
But don’t just take our word for it; take a look at these numbers cited in a recent Harvard Business Review article:
- Organizations officially permitting remote employee work at least three times per month were more likely to report revenue growth of 10 percentor more within the last year – as opposed to organizations without such policies.
- Companies with employees displaying “high levels of freedom” in their relationships were up to 20 times more likely to outperform organizations with low freedom scores.
Flexible work options are undoubtedly a smart business idea. In addition to higher productivity, we reviewed these additional employer and employee benefits in an earlier post:
- Reduced stress (due to fewer conflicts between work and home)
- Better team performance
- Lower turnover
- Improved access to talent
But despite its myriad advantages, many employers struggle to create a flexibility strategy that’s practical. Habits, mindsets, company policies and workflow processes can be tough to change. If your organization wants to offer greater flexibility, but isn’t sure how to start, try these tips:
Obtain buy-in at all levels. Mid- and senior-level managers may resist flexible work arrangements, citing concerns about policy abuse, client/customer reactions, and difficulty managing both programs and participants. For any flexibility initiative to succeed, you must overcome this resistance by showing them the “WIIFM.” Describe all of the ways your company and its employees will benefit from enhanced flexibility (browse our earlier blog posts for evidence to make your case!).
Clarify employee expectations and goals. It’s pretty simple: if responsible employees know what they’re supposed to do (and how to do it), they won’t need to be “under management’s thumb.” Create a sound framework for flexibility by giving your employees well-defined goals and a clear plan for achieving them. This way, you’ll be able to able to evaluate their effectiveness based on the results they produce – whether they’re sitting right next to you or working from home.
Identify the right options. Every organization is unique. Certain occupations are more conducive to flexible work than others, impacting the practicality of options like telecommuting, flexible scheduling and job sharing. Get key decision-makers together to review the ways work is accomplished in your company and identify the best flex work options for each department.
Support your core team to facilitate flexibility.
Creating a great flexibility strategy is one thing; for employees to take full advantage of those flexibility offerings, however, you must provide adequate support when they need time away from work.
That’s where Corps Team comes in! Across the nation, we provide flexible access to a wide range of professionals to support your team and keep productivity high. Contact your local Corps Team office to learn more about our flexible professional staffing and search solutions.
