How have you made your work environment more flexible for employees?

Marzullo & Associates operates mostly via digital communications, so my team is remote. This allows them to build their own ideal work environment for maximum satisfaction, productivity, and to put their best creative foot forward. This is critical because we’re a team of creatives – content writers, copywriters, editors, etc. – so each of us has our own necessities for our creative spaces.
One thing that’s important to note is flexible work environments don’t only mean workspace surroundings, but flexible work hours as well. I’ve made sure deadlines are comfortable for the team and I encourage them to reach out should anything come up so I can happily accommodate. Being flexible, understanding, and encouraging positive work habits contributes to a healthy ebb and flow that optimizes my team’s performance.
In a nutshell, here are my best tips for making your work environment more flexible:
If your organization operates from a physical location, allow flexible remote options. Often, employees are more productive from home!
Encourage employees to personalize their workspace and optimize it to suit their productivity needs.
Be understanding and flexible. Make sure employees are comfortable coming to you when circumstances pop up and never make them feel bad if you need to accommodate them. A good manager knows it’s their job to find solutions and improvise.
Capitalize on their strengths. For example, I have some writers that are stronger at writing opinion pieces, and others, writing data-driven articles. Allow each employee to excel at their natural strengths.
Be empathetic – the same things that would contribute to your ideal work environment will likely contribute to theirs, too.

Kudos to you for creating a more welcoming work environment! A great place to start is to ask your employees! Are you able to be flexible in scheduling so people can get their kids off to school or catch a train that’s not so crowded? Is it possible to work from home some days of the week?
Your employees will know what works for them – if you can make it happen without impacting productivity offer to pilot the request and evaluate in a week or so. If it works, not only will it likely not impact productivity – you’ll have a more loyal workforce that works even harder!