I've been covering flexible work for nearly a decade, but I am continually learning about innovations in the workplace. Just last week, for instance, State Street Corp. held a virtual event for its global workforce, which included a webinar with new research and discussion of best practices on flexibility. I spoke with Maia Germain, vice president in the financial services company's Flex Program Office, to learn about the range of technology and programs that support State Street's flexible workers around the world.
State Street is taking a manager-initiated approach to flexibility, in which managers have a software tool for evaluating which positions are eligible for which type of flexibility: flex time, flex place, compressed work weeks, part-time work or job sharing. Then, they approach employees -- which they've been specially trained to do -- to educate them as to the kind of flexibility available to them. The goal is to provide a more uniform, comprehensive suite of flexible work programs than the typical ad hoc method of employees negotiating flexible hours or proposing a telework arrangement at their own initiative.
"Rather than have a bottom up approach to flexibility we have a top-down approach to flexibility," Germain said. "That has eliminated a lot of the inconsistencies that come from employees approaching managers."
Managers and employees alike are learning that flexible work supports the business needs of the organization, she said. Not only do productivity and retention increase, but State Street has managed to reduce real estate expenses by having telecommuting employees share space on their days in the office. Sophisticated technology including instant messaging, web cameras and collaborative internal Web sites is deployed to bridge the kind of gap in communications that I highlighted in an article for Fortune Magazine this week on the limits of telework.
For instance, a collaboration tool shows the status of every team member, whether "available" or "busy" or "working remotely" or "back in a minute." If you hover a cursor over the person's name you can see how long they've been in that status. Soft phone technology automatically routes a phone call to wherever an individual is located that day, so nobody has to hunt for a phone number. The use of that collaboration software has skyrocketed, Germain said, as people realize how easy it makes it to work together.
"We're a global organization so we should be thinking that way anyway," she said. "It shouldn't matter any more where someone is sitting. We have the technology to support removing that obstacle."
Do you work for an organization with this kind of technological and program support for flexible work? I'd love to hear your stories on flexible work as promised -- and as delivered.
Photo courtesy of State Street Corp.