Focus on Outcomes Instead of Hours

 A remote workforce is a bit different in today’s world.  Prior to pandemic, there were policies requiring childcare be in place if working from home.  Today, childcare is not as accessible to many families.  With so many communities locked down, parents don’t have many, if any, options for childcare.  Also, add to that the burden of supervising school work. It is a lot for a working parent to manage.

What are companies to do to help employees manage these demands?  One potential solution is to be creative with work hours.  Is the traditional 9-5 work schedule really necessary?  For most roles, it probably isn’t. My prior blog discussed building a system that set expectations and established an accountability environment.  With this type of structure, it also sets the stage for focusing on outcomes instead of hours.  

Outcomes are the expected results for a position, department and organization. With a structure is in place that fosters the desired outcomes, are hours really important?  I understand that there are labor laws to address and some states have stricter laws than others so this will still need to be part of the discussion.

So, let’s say we have the labor law issue covered. What role do hours play in the success of a position and the organization?  Is it important for those hours to be consecutive each day or can they be broken up throughout the day? A flexible schedule might be just as effective to still achieve the desired outcomes.  Something such as working 3 hours in the morning, taking a break for 2 hours, working another 3 hours in the afternoon, taking a break for family time and then finishing the day after the kids go down for the night.  The employee continues to devote time to produce the outcomes. It just isn’t in traditional blocks.

We had an employee who was a devoted father to three children.  His wife worked full time outside of the house and he worked full time from home.  He was dedicated to his family and his job.  Spending quality time with his children each day was very important to him. We worked out a schedule that allowed him to work in the morning and into early afternoon.  He would take a break mid-afternoon to be with his children until they settled down for the evening.  Then, he would finish out his work day.  

In the beginning, it wasn’t perfect as we did have some bumps along the way as we worked through the change and balanced the organizational needs.  As concerns came up, we talked about it and made some adjustments on both sides.  As he continued to meet the desired outcomes, this alternative arrangement was kept in place.  In the long run, it turned out to be a big win for everyone and this was put in place years before we faced our current pandemic situation. 

We got creative, set expectations, tried things out and worked together as a team to create an environment that empowered people to balance work and life needs. This is just one example of how we approached scheduling that supported our company goals along with providing the flexibility our staff valued.  

Be open to the possibility that a 9-5 environment may not be the only success model for your organization.