Many employers still have not fully embraced a flexible schedule for their employees. I can only assume it is because they fear that employees will take advantage of them, become unproductive, and inevitably cost them money.
Naturally people are afraid of change and new ideas. They would rather see what experiences early adopters have with a new idea or technology. In my experience as a small business owner, offering a flexible schedule has been an incredibly positive move for our organization. If you still are on the fence about offering your employees a flexible schedule here is what you may be missing out on.
Definition of a Flexible Schedule
First, I want to start by identifying what a flexible schedule can mean. Having flexibility in your schedule does not necessarily mean working whatever hours you feel like from home. Employers may allow employees to work from home on certain days if they choose, and they can still easily monitor their hours and productivity.
Another definition of a flexible schedule has nothing to do with the location they work, but rather the flexibility in the timing of when they work. As an example let's say that traditionally you have held office hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, maybe there is some flexibility in the deliverables to your customers which does not necessarily require a 9-5 work day. If you give your employees the ability to manage their schedule (within reason) and deliver to your customers how they see fit you may see positive results. You may find them delivering work faster than you might think.
Let's say you implement more of a flexible schedule and communicate this to your employees. Meaning that if they want to come in a little late or leave a little early to accommodate their lives you are OK with that.
The big key is that it is contingent on them meeting the deadlines on their deliverables.
Then if an employee has a doctor's appointment, an event for one of their children, or they just want to go for a hike to maintain a healthy lifestyle they can do that under a flexible schedule without taking a vacation or personal day.
Instituting autonomy into your employees schedule can increase productivity and overall job satisfaction.
Attract and Retain Top Talent
One of the key things we highlight for new employees is that we offer a flexible schedule. It is important to me that our website and careers page brings forward the fact that we are a different kind of accounting service, we care about our employees, and the lives they lead.
My rationale here is that the majority of people in today's workforce crave some sort of flexibility and autonomy.
If my son has an important life event I don't want to even consider the possibility of missing it. I also don't want to have to burn up an entire vacation day just to attend an event for an hour. I would rather work harder and come in earlier or work later after hours than miss an important life event.
When I was writing this article I kicked the question out to our team asking them for their perspective on having a flexible schedule. Our COO, Alex Viau, gave a great response that really sums it up. Alex said:
The big thing for me is that in both work and life I have challenges, goals etc. that I want to meet. The problem is with a normal 9-5 it gets in the way of attaining personal goals such as putting down an elk during a specific week or skiing a certain line because the conditions are just right. With the flexible schedule here I'm able to continuously pursue my goals professionally and personally while having fun along the way.
In today's workforce offering a flexible schedule is almost mandatory to remain competitive and attract top talent. In many cases employees would rather more flexibility than more pay. According to a global survey conducted by Unify 43% of employees would choose flex work over a pay raise.
Empower Employees
Offering employees a flexible schedule gives them a chance to manage themselves. This can prove valuable to career development as it will show if they have self-discipline and the ability to manage.
One common complaint I hear from applicants about their previous jobs is that they were not given the ability to make any decisions or give feedback. They were constantly told what to do and were nitpicked over the details.
People don't like to be micromanaged they like to be given the authority to make independent decisions. Sometimes you have to have minor failures in order to move forward in your career.
Empower your employees to manage their time to enhance their careers and skills.
Work Harder and Be More Productive
One thing I have noticed is that those employees that are given flexibility in their schedules work harder and are more productive.
I was having dinner the other night with a good friend that is an HR manager at a large company. He was saying that some days he just needs to work at home so he can get caught up. He added that as soon as he gets in the office he is bombarded with all these questions and tasks, pushing what he needs to be working on to the back burner.
I often find that when I have important tasks to work on, that even being in my private room in our office is less productive than working alone from my home office.
In my experience when employees are given flexibility in their schedule they work harder and are much more productive.
Customer Benefits
In general I would say that employees that are given flexibility are happier and more productive. It reminds me of the Simpsons episode when Homer is asking Mr. Burns if they can get more tartar sauce for the fish sticks at work. Smither's interrupts asking what he is blabbering about and Mr. Burns responds "Can't you see? A happy worker is a busy worker. Three cents' worth of tartar sauce could save us thousands of man hours in labor. Let the fools have their tartar sauce."
So let's take this example, make it a little more real, and bring it into the current work place. A happy employee is typically a more productive worker. What you will most likely notice is better customer service and satisfaction by giving your employees flexibility in their schedules.
All too often employers try and increase worker productivity by throwing money at them. The problem is this rarely works and often has the opposite effect. Giving your employees flexibility in their schedules won't cost you anything and will most likely get you the results you are looking for.
Employee Burnout
The biggest negative I have seen when introducing a flexible schedule into your business is the potential for employee burnout. Offering a flexible schedule to your employees can imply a 24/7 work mentality. For instance, if an employee takes the morning off to go skiing on a powder day they may feel obligated to work longer hours to get caught up.
Additionally when you reward your employees with autonomy they may feel obligated to work all the time for you to repay you for your generosity. This may include working early in the morning or late at night, working weekends, and answering emails and phone calls regularly out of "normal" business hours.
The problem is when you introduce flexibility into your business you are adding confusion as to what normal business hours are and what your expectations are with how and when employees should work.
All of the above situations can lead to overworking and employee burnout. You should monitor your employees closely to avoid burnout. It is important to set clear guidelines and expectations when introducing a flexible schedule.
Implement Slowly and Monitor
If you do decide to introduce flexibility into the workplace I suggest that you do so slowly, monitor the results, and make adjustments as needed. This rule is true with any change you bring to the business. While new ideas and technologies may seem great at first glance, the introduction of them to your business typically doesn't go as planned.
You may find that some employees don't have the discipline to handle a flexible schedule responsibly. Other employees may not even want flexibility because they need structure in their professional life. If you do decide to implement a flexible schedule just do so slowly and with caution knowing that it might not work for everyone or even at all.
Have you offered a flexible schedule or worked in a flexible work environment? What was your experience like?
This blogger graduated from Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Small Businesses program. Goldman Sachs is a partner of the What Is Working: Small Businesses section.