Virtual teams wouldn’t exist if not for advances in technology. It’d be pretty difficult to work remotely by communicating with carrier pigeons. But while technology empowers remote teams, it also creates new challenges.
The benefits of allowing associates to tailor when, where and how they work are clear. However, you may never realize those benefits if your policies and best practices are not properly implemented. Getting Workplace Flexibility right depends on how well you execute three key aspects.
With a menu of flexible work options employees are no longer locked into traditional routines — like clocking in and clocking out. Rather, success is measured by results (e.g. the fulfillment of certain duties and responsibilities) and workers are afforded more freedom in deciding how to effectively perform their job functions.
Flexibility can be a game-changer in the business world. Workplace flexibility, along with its inherent benefits, is something to be admired and perhaps even doggedly pursued. But, what does flexibility look like from a practical or logistical standpoint? How do you know if your company truly is flexible?
Remember the trust fall scene in the 2004 comedy classic, “Mean Girls” where Miss Norbury (Tina Fey) holds a rally for the students to apologize for their wrong doings? After each girl apologizes, she falls backwards into a crowd of students as a symbol of trust. Wouldn’t it be cool if your team could trust YOU when they fall?
