Working from home and other alternative work arrangements are desirable for several reasons: flexible hours can help employees and their families; telecommuting can save time and expense and natural resources, and customized arrangements can help retain valuable employees. But it’s also hard to manage such flexibility fairly and balance it with the benefits of proximity in mind. At our environmental organization, with a modest office workforce of 26, we knew we couldn’t afford to universally approve every request, so we devised a process for evaluating requests, including an assessment form.
The following questions are useful for managers to consider if employees at your organization are asking for a more flexible work arrangement:
1. Position and impact to organization:
- Is the position compatible with the request? For example, administrative positions that support the rest of the staff, provide a lot of customer service, or positions that entail a lot of work in the field with limited time in the office don’t lend themselves well to alternative work arrangements.
- What will the impact be on the rest of staff, including supervisor, supervisor’s supervisor, and other staff? For example, who will cover for the employee when they aren’t available?
- How strong is the impact? For example, working outside core hours one day a week is relatively low impact, while telecommuting three days per week relatively high.
2. Employee performance:
- Has the employee proven him/herself dependable?
- Has the employee proven him/herself capable of working independently?
- Does the employee have a track record of meeting goals and achieving workplan outcomes?
- How important is it for our organization to retain this employee?
3. Does the request create cause for concern that the position just isn’t a good fit for the employee? For example, if the employee indicates that working 40 hrs a week is too much, then a request for telecommuting isn’t going to solve the problem.
4. If asking for a telecommuting arrangement, is the employee’s home office equipped with the following:
- Broadband internet access
- Computer with ability to access the organization’s server and email
- Printer
- Phone
- Ergonomically correct workstation furniture
Will the employee bear the costs associated with this home office? And are they willing to agree to certain standards around availability and a timeframe for responding to phone calls and emails? Think through and discuss the associated logistics, then be sure to put everything in writing if you go forward with such an arrangement.
There’s no doubt it would be more convenient for our organization as a whole to have the entire staff present Monday-Friday, 9:00-5:30. However, I do believe that it helps control turnover and therefore decreases employee recruitment and training costs. And as long as supervisors actively and regularly monitor the effectiveness of their employees’ alternative work arrangements, it is definitely to the organization’s advantage to have a satisfied workforce.
This article was adapted with permission from Blue Avocado, a practical and readable online magazine for nonprofits. Subscribe free by visiting www.blueavocado.org.
