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- Strive to be comfortable supervising your employees without directly observing them. This requires that you be an effective communicator, establish and enforce clear standards of accountability, and be willing to negotiate through minor obstacles.
- Seek training for managers and supervisors that are considering flexible work options available under the various Worklife Programs.
- Manage by objectives and results. Practice outlining the tasks and outcomes of a project. Clarify logical relationships and chronological dependencies. Highlight critical outcomes.
- Focus on results, not processes. If you are uncomfortable managing employees in non-traditional work situations, confer with other managers who have more experience with such arrangements.
- Be inclusive. Be sure to incorporate the opinions, guidance, or expertise of employees in a non-traditional work situation. Make sure you share important information with them in a timely manner.
- If you have difficulty trusting your subordinates, give your employees the benefit of the doubt. Consider that “freedom to fail” is the necessary counterpart to “freedom to succeed.”
- Be flexible and open to new ideas. Consider that there may be multiple ways to achieve the same results. Ask for feedback from other managers and/or from your employees. Review statistics, best practices, and/or testimonials from other managers and supervisors on the success of non-traditional work situations.
- Consider the benefits to the Department that come from Worklife Programs:
- Lower attrition;
- Increased ability to recruit and retain good employees;
- Flexibility in balancing professional and personal priorities;
- Enhanced job performance and motivation;
- Improved morale; and
- Decreased stress.
