Companies have begun to recognize how important a healthy work-life balance is to the productivity and creativity of their employees. Research by Kenexa Research Institute in 2007 showed that employees who were more favorable toward their organization's efforts to support work-life balance also indicated a lower intent to leave the organization, greater pride in their organization, a willingness to recommend the organization as a place to work, and higher overall job satisfaction.
Employers can offer a range of different programs and initiatives that support such a work-life balance. Flexible working arrangements such as flextime and telecommuting work are becoming increasingly popular. More proactive employers can also provide compulsory leave, implement strict maximum hours, or foster an environment that encourages employees not to continue working after hours.
Telecommuting
Telecommuting (or telework) is a work arrangement in which employees do not commute to a central place of work. A person who telecommutes is known as a "telecommuter," "teleworker," or "home-sourced employee." Many telecommuters work from home while others—sometimes called "nomad workers"—use mobile telecommunications technology to work from coffee shops or other locations. This allows employees the flexibility of adapting their work schedule to their living situation.
This arrangement is also quite popular in circumstances of sick leave, pregnancy, parenting, and other important life events. In the past these events could have resulted in temporary loss of employment. Being able to work from anywhere with an internet connection is a modern luxury that adaptable companies should be well aware of.
Home office
This small office is designed for telecommuting.
Flextime
Flextime (also called flexitime or flexi-time) is a variable work schedule, unlike traditional work arrangements in which employees work a standard 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. shift. In this arrangement, there is typically a core period of approximately 50% of the total working day when employees are expected to be at work (for example, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.). The rest of the working day is "flextime" in which employees can choose when they work. Employees are still required to complete the necessary work and achieve total daily, weekly, or monthly hours in the region of what the employer expects.
A flextime policy allows staff to determine when they will work, and a flexplace policy allows staff to determine where they will work. These strategies allow employees to adapt their work hours based on public transport schedules, child-care responsibilities, rush-hour traffic, and other elements.
Establishing a Telework Organization
In addition to supporting the required incremental technologies, a well-functioning telework organization needs a management system that is at least as effective as that of a traditional organization. Management teams face additional issues such as how to supervise employees who are often out of the office, how to monitor staff productivity with less personal interaction, how to build a strong virtual team, and how to maintain relationships between remote employees.
Some suggested best practices for maintaining a successful telework organization include:
- Develop a daily schedule. Setting a standardized daily schedule can help remote teleworkers feel as though they are really at work. It can also make it easier for supervisors to monitor staff activities and can lead to increased productivity.
- Establish milestone dates. Milestone dates help keep projects on track and make it easier to spot problems while there is still time to effectively deal with them.
- Encourage social networking. Employee surveys show that being able to keep in touch and communicate with colleagues despite physical distance can boost employee satisfaction and encourage top talent to stick around.
- Address problems right away. Respond to problems immediately even if they are reported by email or text message. This will prevent teleworkers from feeling isolated.
- Design key performance indicators (KPIs) for remote workers. These KPIs can also be used to measure the effectiveness of in-office staff and maintain an equivalence among the distinct employee categories.
- Start workdays by holding a five-minute team video-conference. This helps supervisors to maintain a regular check-in routine; it also enables employees to catch up on team work progress and feel connected to the whole organization.
- Manage by observation. A successful telework or telecommuting program requires a management style that is results-oriented (as opposed to task-oriented). This is referred to as management by objectives as opposed to management by observation.