Workplace Tip of the Month

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Tip of the Month for June, 2008

Our lead article in the June Work-Life Newsbrief tells of a Wake Forest University study finding that perceived flexibility leads to less absenteeism and more commitment. But our second front-page story reports most companies are not doing flexibility well.

Working nationwide to change that is "When Work Works," the wonderful project of the Families and Work Institute. They've recognized 129 flexible and supportive employers in their 2008 Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work Work, the subject of our June issue's Trend Report. These tips are excerpted from their 2008 Guide.

Don't see looking over employees' shoulders as the way to ensure good work. Trust employees, but hold them accountable and focus on results.

Don't see the individual employee in potentially heroic terms. It's the team that must deliver performance.

Don't think that automatically putting "customers first" above employee concerns is the best way to succeed. The winning employers have learned that a workplace that addresses staff issues has a staff that is more responsive to customers.

Don't think that killer hours are the only route to profit. Try to ensure that your employees have the time and space for renewal to do their best work.

Don't say that "only work-centric employees need apply." Winning employers have found that dual-centric employees - who contribute to their communities and are involved with their families - are among their most committed and productive employees.

At the winning employers:

Employees have input into decision making and managers listen.
Employees have many opportunities to be challenged, to learn and to upgrade their skills.
The career ladder is being replaced with flex careers.
Technology is being used creatively - not to cause overwork, but to provide flexibility.
Flexibility is enabling employees to have time with the important people in their lives.
Employees have opportunities to contribute to their communities.
Employees are encouraged to take good care of themselves.
Employees are accountable for results - and the results that accrue from these bold new ideas are impressive.

As the owner of one winning business puts it, "Why wouldn't we want to be flexible? Because we are flexible, employees stay, and when they stay everything runs more smoothly, and that's what allows me to be out prospecting for the company instead of micromanaging."

Says a managing director at another, "Flexibility is the single most impactful program that improves employee engagement with little or no monetary investment."

You'll get tips each month in the WFC Resources Newsbrief and Trend Report. To subscribe and immediately get the June 2008 issue, e-mail Anne@WFCResources.com. And to find out more about needs assessments, onsite and e-training, and downloadable tools you can use, check out our online store at www.wfcresourcesstore.com or call us at 952-936-7898 or 800-487-7898.

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Latest Research...

20 years of research finds telecommuting benefits everyone
An analysis of 20 years of studies has found that telecommuting has a "clear upside" and a positive impact on performance, turnover and stress. Penn State researchers Ravi Gajendran and David Harrison looked at 46 studies involving more than 12,000 employees. Their report divided the telecommuting experience into three themes: psychological control or perceived autonomy, telework’s effect on the work-family relationship, and the potential for damage to relationships at work. They found that autonomy and control over how the work was done was a major factor in increasing worker satisfaction. That sense of increased autonomy may have been at least partly responsible for the increased performance, decreased stress and lack of interest in quitting. Telework also improved work-family balance, helping workers manage the often conflicting demands of work and home lives. Women remote workers actually found they received higher performance ratings and their career prospects improved rather than worsened. Relationships with managers and co-workers didn’t suffer as long as employees worked away from the office fewer than three days a week. The report is called, "The Good, the Bad and the Unknown About Telecommuting."
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC., 11-15-07

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