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How you can use workshifting to prepare your company for the future

Are you willing to give up your entire social life and time with your children so you can have your dream job? This is a question that employers should never ask and potential employees will probably never answer. Workshifting eliminates the need to choose between your job and the important things in life.

Workshifting refers to the renunciation of a corporate culture of control and fixed work times in favor of a results-oriented approach to work. For employees, this means that they can choose when and where they work. 

The benefits for employers are obvious: elimination of major expenses for office rent and operational costs like energy. At the same time, productivity goes up because employees experience greater job satisfaction. At the same time, companies that utilize workshifting gain competitive advantages through the ability to hire and retain the most talented employees, since the distance from home to the office is no longer relevant.

Why workshifting is so successful

There is a tremendous demand for flexible working models. According to Bitkom, a technology association, 58% of employees would like more flexible working conditions. According to their survey, 37% of workers would prefer to work at home a few days out of the week and 20% would like to work at home every day. Only 30% of surveyed employees prefer to go to the office every day, according to the results of a representative survey released by Bitkom in April of last year.

Many employees would love to work from home

So give it a try! Our tips make it incredibly easy to start workshifting at your company:

Seven tips for launching workshifting at your company:

1. Provide the technical requirements
   The technical requirements for workshifting are minimal. All you need is a broadband Internet connection, a PC or notebook, a comfortable headset, and online collaboration software like Citrix GoToMeeting.
   
   
2. Initiate a workshifting program
   Workshifting is particularly well-suited to workplaces where work results must be available at specific times, such as in development. Go first to these departments and ask who would be interested in workshifting. Then agree on a trial period of four weeks, during which the employees will work from home one day each week, such as on Fridays.
   
   
3. Define clear goals and deadlines
   Set clear goals and deadlines for tasks that must be completed. It is better to set overall goals instead of daily goals. Stay oriented on monthly, contractually agreed work times. Keep in mind that workshifting means giving up some control and focusing instead on trust and results-oriented work.
   
   
4. Make sure everyone is reachable
   Agree that your employees will be available at all times for messages and put your agreements in writing. Workshifting is based on trust, but trust is also a two-way street. For instance, the company must have certainty that it can reach its employees whenever needed. Utilize every form of communication, such as smart phones, voicemail, e-mail, or communication tools like Citrix GoToMeeting that enable economical VoIP-based web conferences.
   
   
5. Learn to relinquish control
   Workshifting is not the same as telecommuting. Unlike telecommuting, employees working under a workshifting model decide for themselves when they will perform their work, as long as they work the required number of hours. For example, they may choose to work from 4 PM to midnight because they are most creative at night or because the daylight hours are reserved for family.
   
   
6. Make sure your employees have flexible collaboration tools
   Take advantage of Citrix GoToMeeting so remote employees can work jointly on the same document. These tools are also great for holding web conferences with multiple people or for facilitating economical communication over VoIP. As a result, you and your employees will work together as if sitting in the same office.
   
   
7. Hold regular meetings
   Make sure that your workshifting employees don’t lose their ties to the company. For this purpose, hold regularly scheduled online meetings and ask that all team members participate. Of course, it will be important that you select a time when everyone is able to join. These meetings are great way for you to stay up-to-date on current projects as well as jointly discuss problems and solutions.
   To learn more, please read the firsthand reports available at www.workshifting.com.