At LSG Solutions, we have long embraced flexible schedules and remote work for our employees. Laptops, cell phones, and other technology makes it possible for employees to work from just about anywhere as long as they have wifi access. And more and more employees are expecting flexibility in their work hours and the option of working remotely when needed.
Here are a few things we’ve learned through the years about successfully managing flexible work schedules and remote work.
Hire people you trust
When I tell people that our employees work remotely sometimes, people often ask if we’ve run into any problems with that. And we really haven’t except for one specific situation where there were some other issues going on as well.
We hire people we trust to get the job done, whether they’re in the office or not when working. If an issue does arise with an employee not getting the job done, we address that just as we would any other issue by discussing it, giving them an opportunity to improve, and then taking action if needed.
Set expectations
Most of our team has a pretty regular schedule in the office, so we know when people will be coming and going. But things come up, of course. Maybe a kid is sick or there’s some other personal issue going on that means an employee needs to be home one day instead of in the office. When that sort of thing happens, our employees know to alert us to their change in schedule. We’ve set the expectations around communicating about schedules, and our employees follow that.
Recognize the need for face-to-face communication
While our employees do sometimes work remotely, we don’t have any employees who are full-time remote. Everyone is in the office for scheduled hours every week. Yes, technology allows for a lot of communication, but face-to-face communication is still critical.
We can’t sit behind computers and communicate solely via instant messenger all day and be effective. At some point, conversations need to be had in person. We work more effectively as a team when we’re able to talk and collaborate in the office, so we make sure there’s an emphasis on that while still balancing the flexibility our employees need.
Offering a flexible schedule has been extremely successful for our company through the years. It’s not about the five o’clock whistle for our team—it’s about getting the job done. Everyone’s putting in the time and effort needed to accomplish our goals even if they’re sometimes working different hours.
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