What Employees Want… Besides Money
Do you offer flex-time to your employees?
According to a new survey conducted by Harris/Decima sponsored by Telus, 89% of employees think that offering a flexible work program makes a company more attractive. Survey results also revealed flexible work is considered the second most important factor, after money, when people are looking for a new job.
The Flexible Work survey also found that:
- 81% of respondents agreed that an organization offering a flexible work program positively differentiates one company from another.
- 67% of those surveyed noted they would be more loyal to companies that provided them with the option of flexible work.
- 87% of employees who have ever worked remotely responded that they are just as productive, if not more, when working out of the office, and over half of all respondents (56 per cent) said that having a flexible work option would motivate them to work harder.
- Interestingly, the survey also found that only one-in-five of respondents (20 per cent) think the opportunity to work 24/7 is a downside, dispelling a common myth about mobile working.
- Despite a strong support for flexible work programs, only 46 per cent of survey participants work at a company that offers such a program.
I had the opportunity to connect with Peter Day, founder of Endo Networks, one of Canada’s fastest growing companies, to discuss what he thinks about the emerging flex-time trend. Endo is a place-based relationship marketing company and has grown from $900k in revenues to almost $8 million in five years.
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Evan: What are the top 3 action items entrepreneurs should take as a result of the study?
1. Review the daily work habits of the various categories of your team, including yourself, to see where mobile working could bring a benefit.  Include your team in the discussion – sometimes its not just the productivity improvement, but the employee satisfaction that is the benefit.
2. Consider any data security / privacy / compliance issues that you may have to address as a result of the change to mobile working – if your mobile workers have access to any sensitive client data, you may have security issues to address.  Establish a security process – password protection, encryption and controls over what information can be accessed remotely, and if it is stored on the user’s computer or web-based.
3. Designate a champion(s) within your organization to pilot the mobile tools, and establish metrics with them to measure the success of the program as it relates back to your  expected benefits as listed in point 1.
3.5 Don’t make any big changes immediately, but give careful thought to the changes a mobile workforce will bring to your organization – travel policies, physical office layout and size, professionalism expectations, work hours expectations, etc.
Evan: Working remotely is a big theme in the study – what type of jobs lend themselves best to working remotely and what tools / best practices can business owners use to implement working remotely effectively?
1. I think its easier to define jobs that do not lend themselves to working remotely and those are:
a. Jobs which require the employee to physically interact with a system or process related to the business, i.e. manufacturing
b. Jobs which continually require the employee to be engaged with other people in the company
c. Jobs which require the employee to access business tools which are not accessible through mobile working, i.e. higher-power computers, specialized peripherals, secure data servers, etc
2. Additionally, some employee personalities are well suited to working remotely (self-motivated, disciplined, need for mobility i.e. travel for business, desire to work remotely) and some are not well suited – there are employees whose job description technically fits working remotely, but whose personality does not.
Evan: Another theme is flexibility – what features of a flexible work program do employees value the most?
This depends a lot on the employee, but I think the biggest benefit is freedom, enabled by mobile Internet keys first, and BlackBerries second – I say MIKs first because they enable a much greater level of functionality than does a BlackBerry.
Evan:Â Let’s talk about productivity – as a business owner, how do I ensure that my employees are working hard and being productive when they’re working remotely?
One of the things I really like about a mobile workforce is it forces business owners to manage to results, not presence. Â Historically, business owners have measured productivity in many cases by whether or not the employee is present at his or her desk from 9 to 5, a practice which I believe is in many cases counter-productive to great results. Â A mobile workforce cannot be overseen in the same way as desk-bound employees, so owners and managers are forced to find new ways to measure productivity. Â At Endo we use a number of objective measurements of productivity combined with structured and regular client and consumer feedback surveys, as well as tight tracking to projected budgets, to measure our employee performance. Â Interestingly, the requirements to change our measures of productivity dictated by a mobile workforce have spread across our non-mobile workforce too, creating a more objective and sound method of evaluating our team.
Evan: Finally let me ask you about culture – business owners strive to create an effective business culture. How can this be established / maintained if people aren’t in the office?
First, our mobile workers are in the office on a regular basis, networking with the rest of the team.  Second, our mobile working tools give us faster and more frequent communication than we had previously, which helps to maintain our culture.  And third, our culture is based strongly on results, and the changes to our measures of productivity have helped the team understand better what success looks like – further ingraining our culture in our team in a non-fluffy manner.
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Photo Credit: Somewhat Frank
Do you offer flex time to your staff? Do you work remotely or are you looking to hire people who can work remotely? I’ d love to hear your thoughts if you leave a comment below!
What is explained here is actually very true — I like that. Good job!
Nice article.
The surveys in this blog are great to read. Thumbs up—way to go—keep it going. I shall be watching closely.
It’s always very good to learn something new — how to be a successful entrepreneur.
SUPER articles — good job!
I like your article because you have confirmed to us what the Flexible Work survey also found — very interesting. It’s very hard to find a job where a company offers a flexible work program.
A better source than any article I’ve seen on the topic
RT @TopsyRT: What Employees Want… Besides Money http://bit.ly/cA0TOX
Very nice — thanks for this article…
Nice article. What you explain here is spot on. Keep it up.
Very nice article.
It’s very hard to find a job where a company offers a flexible work program. I think it’s easier to define jobs that do not lend themselves to working remotely.
Really appreciable this work; these detailed points must have taken some thought. A helpful and informative article—thumbs up :)
RT @TopsyRT: What Employees Want… Besides Money http://bit.ly/cA0TOX
Very Nice Article—very useful to me. According to a new survey conducted, 89% of employees think that offering a flexible work program is a good idea.
Your article is superb and I have found it to be of great use.
Very nice article considering the current world situation. Thanks for sharing with us.
Great article. I found it enjoyable and interesting to read.
Very useful tips. I’m in favor of flexible working schedules, but it’s a pity they don’t seem to be getting integrated into companies fast enough.
Nice article on the subject of time.
How to be sucessfull in life is a very important question. And you have answered this question—I like this post.
It is very useful for me to know what employees are looking for from an employer, apart from their salary.
The article is useful and interesting.
A flexible work program is a thing to take notice of. It may result in a lot of positive changes within an organization.
Your articles are always very nice and useful like this blog. Thanks.
The whole article was very useful. Thanks for the awesome article.
This is exactly what I had in mind. What’s said in this article is 100% true.
Yes. I appreciate this article. Offering flexi-time to your staff is good idea. Mobile working is good too—I like that. Thanks for the great information, Mr. Evan Carmichael.
This article is very interesting, but also very tough.
This is a flexible work program.
It's a fact – employees want flexible working options http://bit.ly/94Wf4M
It’s a fact – employees want flexible work options
It's a fact – employees want flexible work options http://bit.ly/94Wf4M
Excellent article, the information shared is really true because flexi-time always helps to maintain attentiveness towards work.
Very nice article!
This article is very good. I also agree that employees need flexible working time.
This article tell us how to use flexi-time in the work place so we only have to work a few hours.
Yes, I appreciate this article. Offering flexi-time to your staff is good idea. Mobile working is good too—I like that.
Nice article — very useful and informative. The flexible work options is now an established concept. Everyone should know about it. Thanks for the article!
Your article is truly excellent. You have clearly written each and every detail on employees’ work flexibility. I hope everyone reads this article, especially those seeking jobs and also employers. This article means a lot to me.
This article is really interesting. It could result in a lot of positive changes within an organization.
Yes, in my personal opinion, every worker prefers a Flexibility working programme in their office because the mobility gives a great sense of freedom and relieves stress when compared to the typical office. The survey above reflects well how workers feel nowadays. I would give total support to a flexibility program of this type in my office.
The work flexibility programme has many advantages and very few disadvantages but, as stated above, this concept only suits certain types of industries; software developers, information technology, and web based companies, etc.
Evan, thank you for sharing a beautiful article and survey. I love the work flexibility options.
Nice article — straight to the point.
I liked the article mainly for one good reason. It solved my problem straight away. I liked the flexibility programme and the mobility it gave. Thanks very much, Evan, for such a wonderful piece.
In my opinion, you have rightly and judiciously assessed the wants and desires of employees from their companies. A flexible program is something employees are always hoping for from their companies. I hope that a large number of people read this article and realise the benefits of flexibility programs.
Really, this article is the best.
It’s very hard to find a job where a company offers a flexible work program. I think it’s easier to define jobs that do not lend themselves to working remotely.
This was a nice article, all the words mentioned above are true.
Great article, great work. I found it this enjoyable and interesting to read.
Great post mr evan! Thanks for sharing and keep the good work up!
Glad you enjoyed Samuel – thanks for leaving a comment!
RT @TopsyRT: What Employees Want… Besides Money http://bit.ly/cA0TOX
The topic chosen is an interesting one, the way it was written is also good. It also helps me to understand myself as an employee. Overall it’s a very good piece of work.
This is good. I got a lot of useful information from it.
This is a very nice and interesting article. Thanks for sharing the tips….
Very nice article. I agree that employees want flexible work time as well as money. It would be better for both companies and employees. If any company offers this facility to their employees, they would be doing their best for the company.
Very good Article. It is useful for me. It outlines a flexible work survey and also tells me that 67% of those surveyed noted they would be more loyal to companies that provided them with the option of flexible work. I like it very much.
This article is very nice. I got lot of information from this article — very useful tips — great work. Thank you very much.
The surveys in this blog are great to read. Thumbs up—way to go—keep it going. I shall be watching closely.
Great post.
Very informative and interesting blog. I agree that employees want flexible work time as well as money.
This article gives loads of good information about flexible work surveys. It also reveals that if there is flexibility at work, people will be more loyal to their company.
Very interesting article. The surveys are so good. I like it very much! Thanks!
This article is very informative to me. This article is very useful to entrepreneurs. Thanks.
Very nice article. I agree that employees want flexible work time as well as money. It would be better for both companies and employees. If any company offers this facility to their employees, they would be doing their best for the company.
Well, it’s very interesting to see something like this — the article is very nice. I got lot of information from this article — very useful tips — great work. Thank you very much.
This is a great article. As an employee, I’ll sure make my management have a look at this page.
Great article. I’ll surely implement this in my company. Thanks for the article.
Wow! What a good piece to read.
Yes, you are absolutely right about flexible work programmes. Every employee or worker dreams of working flexible hours which give them a positive approach to work and which do not feel work stress and the hourly work burden.
You made a good point in the article that this kind of flexible work programme is suited only to certain sectors of industry and static are good to read the complete article.
Thank you for sharing this article, Evan :)
I like it very much.
It looks very beautiful.
RT @TopsyRT: What Employees Want… Besides Money http://bit.ly/cA0TOX
RT @TopsyRT: What Employees Want… Besides Money http://bit.ly/cA0TOX
RT @TopsyRT: What Employees Want… Besides Money http://bit.ly/cA0TOX
RT @TopsyRT: What Employees Want… Besides Money http://bit.ly/cA0TOX
RT @TopsyRT: What Employees Want… Besides Money http://bit.ly/cA0TOX
RT @TopsyRT: What Employees Want… Besides Money http://bit.ly/cA0TOX
RT @seanmelv: RT @TopsyRT: What Employees Want… Besides Money http://bit.ly/cA0TOX
RT @seanmelv: RT @TopsyRT: What Employees Want… Besides Money http://bit.ly/cA0TOX
RT @seanmelv: RT @TopsyRT: What Employees Want… Besides Money http://bit.ly/cA0TOX
RT @seanmelv: RT @TopsyRT: What Employees Want… Besides Money http://bit.ly/cA0TOX
RT @seanmelv: RT @TopsyRT: What Employees Want… Besides Money http://bit.ly/cA0TOX
RT @seanmelv: RT @TopsyRT: What Employees Want… Besides Money http://bit.ly/cA0TOX
I offer the members of my team this ability and it really works. Some very interesting ideas here. Thanks.
This is good —offers lot of knowledge. There is lot to be gained here.
What Employees Want (Besides Money) via Evan Carmichael's Entrepreneur Blog http://bit.ly/cX9sP2
RT @GoWESST: What Employees Want (Besides Money) via Evan Carmichael's Entrepreneur Blog http://bit.ly/cX9sP2