Here’s a great post by Bryan Miles. Bryan Miles is CEO & Co-founder of eaHELP and is blessed to run this company with his wife, Shannon. To learn more about Bryan, click here. You can guest post as well! Read how to here.
Sing with me! Tumble outta bed and I stumble to the kitchen. Pour myself a cup of ambition. And yawn and stretch and try to come to life. Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumpin’. Out on the street, the traffic starts jumpin’, with folks like me on the job from 9 to 5. Working 9 to 5 …
Even Dolly would tell you those days are over.
In fact more and more, employers are encouraging off hours for their team members for the sake of results. At eaHELP, we see it every day. Employers from large corporations to starts-ups are realizing that rigid work times are a potential drag on productivity (and results). Traditional 9-to-5 office hours are becoming a thing of the past thanks to the widespread adoption of mobile technology. While certain roles at an organization will always be “shift-oriented” because of the nature or requirement of the role, more and more organizations are opening up to the idea of a virtual workforce … and for good reason.
A virtual workforce means more hours of coverage over the course of a 24-hour period. In a lot of instances, it’s because of incremental bursts of work being accomplished. Team member productivity is connected to focus and being in a traditional 9 to 5 office has its share of distractions. By compartmentalizing a team member’s time (9 to 5), you are potentially limiting their productivity and results because you are defining when their work can be done.
But while this may seem like good news for restless desk jockeys, it doesn’t mean team members are working fewer hours overall. In fact, they may be working more. This is where a solid leader worth following must make sure their team is not over-working, feeling like they can’t escape their jobs. There is a palpable tension that exists when a leader doesn’t help their team shut it off.
If you don’t believe it’s true, consider these scenarios. Outside the context of your work, how do you communicate with your kids these days? Text, right? Do you Skype with your mom and dad? Do your friends leave you voicemails? Does your church email you notices about your next time volunteering? When’s the last time you held an actual bank statement in your hands? You see, you are far more “virtual” with your everyday life than you realize. Why should the workplace be any different?
QUESTION: Are you willing to try a virtual workforce at your place of business with certain roles? If not, what’s at stake?
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