With more and more companies becoming global, it is not so
important that everyone show up at the office or plant in order to get their
work done. The introduction of the “mobile
office” concept for traveling manager and salespeople came about as a way
to help them do work while on-the-road. Does
this concept work for other employees as well?
Working from home (aka home office) is the
newest example of a flexible work schedule and has become quite popular since
it can save the company space while still getting key functions done by
employees who may have reasons not to come into the office every day. Being able to get work done anywhere and anytime
motivates employees to do their best work when they choose to focus on their
job tasks.
Before working from home and mobile offices, many corporations
instituted flexible work schedules within their plants. These “flex-time” schedules could mean
an employee choosing to work hours outside the normal office hours or it might
be working different hours on various days to provide the worker time to be off
for a child’s school function or a personal appointment. As long as an 8-hour day was put in by the
employee, they could do their 8-hours within a 2 hours window of their standard
start or stop working hours. The only
issue with this attempt at work-life balance was when people shared a
work-station over shifts. To keep in the
8-hour frame, employees had to work together to ensure both shifts are covered
without inconveniencing job functions. If
this could not be worked out among the employees’ hours, then the employee who
needed the change in hours would have to take time-off for the hours that were
not worked during the 8-hour shift. This
type of flex hours must be discussed with HR representative in order to weigh the
pros
and cons and determine if it is within company policy.
Whether the above worked or not, many companies instituted something
called “Flex Friday” as another alternative to try for work-life balance. This provided the benefit of giving people
extra time off on Friday or a 3-day weekend.
How it worked was employees could opt to work 1 of 2 alternatives if
approved by their work team and immediate supervisor. Alternative 1 was to work four 9-hour days
and only 4 hours on Friday (employee electing to do this worked with the team
to decide if they got off at lunch or came in for the 2nd half of a
shift) for a 40-hour week (9x4days+4hours). Alternative 2 was a 40-hour week
where the employee worked 4 days at 10 hours each. Many companies let employees choose whether
they want to take the typical Friday or opt for Monday off instead. A 3rd flexible Friday alternative companies
can consider is called ”9/80”
work schedule where employee works 5 days one week and 4 days the next at 9
hours each day.
Does your company offer flexible time or mobile office
options? If yes, please share the
interesting options they offer in the comments below. If you participate in a flexible work option,
how does it help you be more productive or motivated?
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