Hey, you there.
The one in the cubicle, punching the clock on the nine-to-five (or eight-to-five, if we’re being realistic). Still hungry after your half-hour lunch? How’s that vacation planning going with your 10 days off this year?
Here’s the real question: Do you feel productive? And will you stay at your current job?
Last week, The Harvard Business Review posted a piece telling the bosses of our generation to ease up on the clock-watching and get ready to set their employees free.
According to several studies (they cite this one), the millennial generation (anyone born from the early ‘80s to the early ‘00s) is deeply committed to finding flexibility in their careers. The freedom to choose where and when they work – and in many cases what projects they’re assigned to – is leading an entire generation down a road of independence through freelancing and entrepreneurship.
So what’s a company to do to keep top talent on their payroll? Harvard says it’s simple: give in and reap the rewards.
Open workflows, unassigned workstations, more vacation time, and especially remote work arrangements (allowing employees to telecommute) are just a few of the strategies being employed by businesses that are currently seeing increased productivity gains and growth in overall revenue. The figures are pretty impressive, as is the list of employers that includes the likes of American Express, IBM, Deloitte, and AT&T.
Basically, if your company has access to a webcam and the internet, you have what you need to get started on a path of motivating talented, freedom-hungry individuals to be the most efficient and effective members of your staff.
So whether you are the boss or you have a boss, proposing a distributed workforce is definitely something to consider.
Even if all it produces is better holiday parties full of people sharing stories of travel and culture, you’ll already be a step ahead.
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