Workshifting is a term coined by Citrix Online to define the growing trend of working from anywhere other than a traditional office. To me it’s a more descriptive term than telecommuting, virtual workers, home office or any of the other terms that are regularly used to describe working from somewhere other than “the office”.
Though this concept was introduced three decades ago, it’s a trend that has seen dramatic increases in the last few years. One of the reasons for that is today’s technology makes it so much easier for a remote worker to stay in touch. In the early to mid-1980’s I had a home based office, and in those pre-internet, pre-cell phone days, I was truly an island unto myself. I had a land line with call waiting and an answering machine, a pre-MS Office computer, with a monochrome monitor, and a dot matrix printer, then a few years later I got the most amazing of all office tools (of the day) —– a fax machine! For all practical purposes, I was chained to my office – if I wasn’t there the only thing people could do was leave a message on my answering machine, and the only thing I could do was wait until I returned to my office to deal with everything.
Today however, people can work wherever, whenever they want with the same convenience as if they were sitting in a traditional office. Manufacturers such as Cisco are building solutions that enable employees to have all the capabilities of a “bricks and mortar” office, regardless of where they are physically located.
How feasible is it to have employees working from home or wherever? Very, according to recent surveys.
- 33% of employees said they could do 60% or more of their job from a location outside the office (WorldatWork Telework Trendlines, 2009).
- 72% of employees say flexible work arrangements would cause them to choose one job over another. 37% specifically cite telecommuting. (The Edge Report, 2008 Robert Half International Survey).
Gen Y’ers are more difficult to recruit (as reported by 56% of hiring managers) and to retain (as reported by 64% of hiring managers) but they are particularly attracted to flexible work arrangements. (The Edge Report, 2008 Robert Half International Survey)
- 25% of employers plan to offer telecommuting as an option for retiring Boomers. (2008 Robert Half International Survey)
- 29% have begun offering telecommuting as a way to improve staff retention rates in the last 12 months. (2008 Robert Half International Survey)
What are some of the potential benefits to your business if you start to “workshift” some of your employees?
- Potential reduction in footprint resulting in savings for real estate
- Productivity gains from eliminating day-to-day office distractions
- Eliminating the wear and tear of commuting
- An important business continuity strategy (consider threats such as swine flu or transit strikes )
- Reducing carbon footprint and energy usage
- Expands the talent pool
Though the technical aspects are easily and cost-effectively addressed, workshifting isn’t for all companies. Success depends largely on a company’s culture and the willingness to abandon the “I’ve got to see you to manage you” mentality, and instead shifting the focus to outcomes. An individual employee’s self-discipline is also a key factor.
“What makes it doable or not is whether you have a results-based organization,” says Diane Krieman, a senior consultant with human resources consulting firm Hewitt Associates. “Do the managers themselves support it, and is there role-modeling from the top down?”
The bottom line is, the idea of “the office” is going through some dramatic changes, and in order to stay competitive today, it’s something you may need to consider for your business.
By the way, I finished writing this while I was at the dealership waiting on my car to be serviced – time that otherwise would’ve been wasted.
