3 tips for transforming into an employee-centered workplace

Employee-centered workplaces are the future. But we won't get there if we aren't open.
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Elon Musk acts like space is the next frontier, but business pioneers know true innovation is happening on terra firma. Instead of exploring the cosmos, business leaders are experimenting with office dynamics. The 21st-century workplace is characterized by perpetual changes and increasingly unconventional setups.

Our ancestors would have trouble recognizing our employee-centered office spaces and working arrangements. Telecommuting has become commonplace for many small and large organizations, and most companies have a global focus—internationally-based employees, vendors, and clients are par for the course. Thankfully, communication is instantaneous with technology such as email, real-time messaging, virtual meetings, and synchronous conference calls.

How accustomed are we to this brave new work world? When children photo-bombed their father's international interview on the BBC, society laughed it off because of how commonplace that scenario has become. Workers adore this ever-changing environment, but it can be problematic for business leaders.

CEOs, executives, and founders must corral a flock that often isn't in the same office, city, or country. Although research shows innovative work environments are more productive, companies still have to grapple with the logistics of never-ending change.

Suddenly, heading to Mars seems a lot simpler than navigating the evolving business world.

Shades of gray among the standing desks

"Exception is the norm" might as well be the motto for the modern work environment. Employee handbooks and departmental budgets are peppered with gray areas instead of yesteryear's black-and-white situations. Corporate leaders must make decisions on a case-by-case basis, usually with no prior expertise in handling such situations.

When I began telecommuting, there was no established rule book. I worked with my supervisor and our human resources department to create the boundaries of my flexible work arrangement. We established performance metrics and expectations to ensure everyone had the same understanding of the arrangement. For instance, I would be available via instant-messaging platforms during standard working hours, respond to emails within 24 hours, and visit the office at least once a month.

Suddenly, heading to Mars seems a lot simpler than navigating the evolving business world.

As my telecommuting progressed, my colleagues and I established more mutual trust. This allowed us to eliminate a few of those initial ground rules—I no longer had to provide a weekly account of what I had done and planned to do, for example. We managed to make telecommuting work, but it truly was a team effort.

That collaborative spirit is missing from many employee-driven work cultures. We've admitted that certain employees work best when they can choose for themselves how and when they do their best work, but we neglect to create the necessary structure. Without a framework approved by leadership and workers, mass chaos is inevitable. Empowerment is fine, but responsibility goes both ways. Leaders should be ready to provide feedback on a new set of behaviors, and employees must be open to the give-and-take of the modern work environment.

Caring for the heart of your organization

Is your company ready to give more freedom to employees? Do you feel like you're losing great people to more agile competitors? It's probably time to become an employee-centered workplace. Here are a few guiding principles as you make the transition.

1. Acknowledge your beliefs and assumptions.

Spend time reflecting on your own beliefs about work. Do you think tasks only get done at a desk (or in a cubicle), or do you feel like it depends on each worker's role and responsibilities? What problems and benefits does your current structure offer? Get everything out in the open before you move forward. After you've addressed your biases, map out your ideal workplace. Whether it involves a shift to more telecommuting or an open floor plan, visualize it with the help of department leaders and frontline employees. This exercise can help you uncover potential issues and opportunities. Compare your dream hierarchy with your current structure. If there isn't natural overlap, consider how you can steer your company in the desired direction.

2. Scan your environment and ask questions.

Talk with the people who will be most affected by proposed changes: your employees. What would work best for them? How can they bring their best selves to every aspect of their work lives? Listen and learn before you hit the budgets. Consider ways you can spend your money more effectively. Instead of building out cubicles and conference rooms, for example, your team might be happier with tables and chairs, a booth for private calls, a smattering of standing desks, and the ability to work from home (with advance notification and approval, of course).

3. Develop leaders for emerging challenges.

Piloting a business (or a spaceship) with no real boundaries might seem scary, but it's also an exhilarating opportunity.

Leaders received education on everything from workplace conflict to motivating employees, but there is no such thing as too much communication-related training. Managers must be able to provide consistent, constructive feedback to the employees they supervise. Your goal should be clear lines of communication—particularly if some workers are not in the office on a daily basis. It's exceedingly easy to accidentally alienate remote team members. Send messages regularly to ensure they know exactly what's happening and feel like a valued part of the organization. Moreover, don't forget that remote employees could be tomorrow's leaders; give them a chance to enjoy development opportunities that focus on building their analytical, communication, problem-solving, and collaborative abilities.

Piloting a business (or a spaceship) with no real boundaries might seem scary, but it's also an exhilarating opportunity. Provided you're on the same page, you and your team members can go anywhere in the universe. If you're able to successfully adapt to this limitless workplace freedom, there's nothing to stop you from boldly going where no one has gone before.

This article originally appeared at gotchamCulture and is reprinted here with permission.

Shawn Overcast
Shawn Overcast, partner at gothamCulture, is a respected leader in leadership and organizational development, connecting people processes to business impact. She has over 15 years experience working in complex human capital departments spanning a variety of sectors and industries, and across the scale of small-mid size companies and global, Fortune 100 organizations.

4 Comments

This area is a great place for application of The Golden Rule -- do unto others as you would expect them to do unto you. It used to be that supervisors would barge into something others were doing, or call, disrupting some activity. Now it's texting, where again the expectation is that you will respond immediately. Email is theoretically better, yet there are those who constantly are monitoring incoming email. I like your idea of proactively sending messages before reports are asked for. There also ought to be discussions had about not allowing communications to be demanding or excessively time-consuming.

Greg -

Thanks for your comment. How grateful am I that texting wasn't an option when I was first navigating the credibility-building exercises of my first telecommuting experience! Instant message was intrusive enough. I feel the pendulum has swung, and while we gain from the benefit of tools such as instant chat, direct messaging, and text, there is also patience and understanding that we may not be in a position to respond. This is another example where the accountability swings both ways - it is on me, the individual, to manage expectations about when and how I can respond, and to set parameters for when something might need to take exception.

Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!

- Shawn

In reply to by Greg P

> For instance, I would be available via instant-messaging platforms during standard working hours, respond to emails within 24 hours, and visit the office at least once a month.

That is unacceptable behaviour and an intrusion into personal life. I work from home, have done for some time, but I always quickly spring to red-alert if someone suggests that they contact me on a weekend or out-of-hours, or becomes demanding with my time that they have not scheduled.

The whole Yahoo work until you drop, then drop some caffeine and work some more is dangerous and unhealthy. It hurts a lot more than it helps, and as we shed the chains of traditional labour I do think it's important to keep our eyes open to avoid future chains as well.

I too loved the idea of proactively sending messages and it's a practice I try to follow too.

Lewis -

I fully agree - being expected to be available outside of standard working hours is extreme. Which is one reason I deliberately managed my communication and proactive outreach within the boundaries of 'standard business hours.' That was an important expectation to manage, and an important boundary to put in place - especially for those working out of a home office. In my experience, it is more difficult to 'turn off' than it is to get distracted by other things in the home.

I also recognize that others don't work like this. Some enjoy burning the midnight oil and do their best work after the kids are in bed. Or take advantage of a quiet Saturday afternoon to put the finishing touches on a project. I advocate for balance, and in our company, we allow work to be done when you are at your best. We also expect respect of each others' time, especially when needing to collaborate on a project. We expect people to be adaptable to each others' schedules when necessary, and within reason.

Thanks so much for reading and for sharing your thoughts.

- Shawn

In reply to by LewisCowles1986