The need for flexible working arrangements is no longer limited to working parents. Today’s workforce, while multigenerational in nature, is feeling the pressure to adapt to the needs of its Millennial and Gen Z cohorts. Living in a world where digital makes everything possible, it is no secret that these younger workers are itching to break free from the four walls that make up ordinary office life.
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Progressive employers have been taking note; according to recent research, remote work has surged by 91% over the last decade. In a competitive job market, however, it is clearer than ever that organizations can no longer afford to overlook this coveted benefit should they want to attract the best and the brightest talent.
Setting Your Teams Up for Success
Offering greater flexibility at work is not a one-and-done. Although parts of the team may not be physically present in the office, everyone needs to maintain a certain level of productivity to ensure goals and deadlines are met accordingly. Naturally, problems will arise if employees working remotely do not have access to the right resources to help them succeed.
Technology has certainly made the task of staying connected while working from home easier, but many employees are forced to juggle between e-mails, messaging apps, and more throughout any given workday. Information becomes scattered and unreliable, leading teams to rely on private, in-person conversations, e-mails, and messages in the moment, which allows the cycle of internal misalignment to continue.
Creating a Trusted Source for Information
Communication channels at work will always inevitably straddle the offline and online worlds. In order to avoid derailing a project or causing unnecessary delays, companies need to streamline and create a trusted source of information for everyone who needs access to it.
This can also be referred to as a single source of truth (SSOT) and ensures everyone in an organization bases business decisions on the same data. Essentially, it is the Marie Kondo method of the workplace—the spring cleaning for company knowledge that breaks down silos once and for all and creates a central source for files, due dates, and status updates for whoever needs them.
On the employee level, this means giving the gift of the big picture. Teams work with a better flow and strong accountability so managers can have peace of mind that projects are moving along as they should be. The need for unnecessary 5-minute meetings to touch base on simple updates also diminishes, as the team has greater transparency on what is being worked on and how that relates to their own tasks, priorities, or goals.
The benefits of an SSOT are also felt organizationwide. After all, companies across industries are faced with a data overload and need clarity to make the best business decisions, from sales and marketing to investments and future growth. Tracking company direction in a centralized system allows proper allocation of resources to reach long-term goals and creates the ability to analyze and learn from the past to inform future decision-making.
While implementation and normalization of the new system across an organization may take time, it is an important investment that cements a company’s dedication to evolving with the needs of its workforce, current and future.
Peter Coppinger is the CEO and Cofounder of Teamwork, a work management platform for enterprise teams.