Productivity Hitting the Brakes?  Test-Drive a Flexible Schedule

In her latest article, Kathi Guiney of YES! Your Human Resources Solution discusses how to manage a remote workforce through effective management skills, careful employee selection, and creative techniques.  This article is a must-read for businesses that are ready to reap the benefits of a telecommuting workforce.  Among those benefits: happier, healthier, and more productive employees.  A recent survey conducted by Staples Advantage found that many telecommuters reported healthier stress levels and eating habits, and 80 percent enjoyed a better work-life balance.  The survey also found telecommuting can be great for businesses, since most workers felt more loyal to their company and were more willing to work overtime.  While it’s clear telecommuting offers advantages to both employees and businesses, what if a remote workforce isn’t the right choice for your company’s needs?

If your company can’t support a remote workforce, it can still offer employees similar benefits through a flexible work schedule.  Like telecommuters, employees who work a flex schedule appreciate a better work-life balance and reduced stress, as they are better able to accommodate their childcare needs and general personal needs, such as doctor appointments.  Flex schedules are great for business productivity, too, because employees can work when they’re at their best—especially those night owls who can’t function before 9 A.M. and three cups of coffee.

If you like the idea of offering flexible working hours, there are several ways you can integrate a flex schedule.  Of course, the options that will work best for your business will depend on your business needs, such as whether shifts require minimum staffing levels.  If your business requires employees to work standard 40-hour weeks, consider these scheduling alternatives:

• A 4/10 schedule, which allows employees to work longer days while enjoying longer weekends
• Varied daily hours, where employees may work one 10-hour day so they can leave early the following day
• Flexible start and end times, where some employees work a 6–3 while others prefer a 9–6
• Weekend work, which allows employees to come in on a Saturday or Sunday

Test-driving any one of these scheduling perks can result in happier and healthier employees.  In addition, a flexible schedule can serve as an attractive recruitment and retention tool.  The increasingly younger workforce places more value on their personal time, so an employer that promotes a work-life balance has a competitive advantage when seeking fresh-faced talent.  Those employees are more inclined to accept a position—and happily stay with—a company that appreciates its employees’ well-rounded lifestyles.  So even if your business can’t afford to offer telecommuting, a flexible schedule can completely overhaul employee morale, productivity, and retention, and can steer your business toward success.

If you’re interested in exploring telecommuting or flexible scheduling options, but are unsure which choice would best suit your business, let the HR professionals at YES! Your Human Resources Solution help you find the right track.  As Orange County’s premier HR consultants, we’ll work with your management team to evaluate your business and to help blend your business’ goals with your employees’ needs.  We’ll also help with the additional research required to ensure your hourly workers’ flex schedules meet wage and hour laws.  Flexibility and compliance can go hand in hand!  We can make recommendations for other employee benefits and recognition strategies, too!  With YES! Go-To HR, we’re always just a phone call or e-mail away.  Contact us today or visit our website for a free consultation.