- No set hours. Schedule is determined based on the job function. In general, meetings and on-call schedules would be the primary drivers for the schedule.
- General expectation of 1900-2000 hours per year. This is a little more than 40 hours per week, but the flexibility makes up for it.
- Expectations of responsibility are paramount. Results matter.
- Vacation, sick time, holidays, etc. are somewhat irrelevant. Leave (paid or unpaid) can be determined as an adjustment to the hour and/or responsibility expectation. Employee may schedule explicit off-duty times without management approval. Management must only approve adjustments to on-duty schedule.
- Adjustments to on-duty schedule, i.e. on vacation during meetings, on-call, etc., should be viewed as part of business. Too many adjustments or adjustments that adversely affect the business in a significant way should be viewed as neglect of responsibility.
- Depending on the size and nature of the organization, distributed centers can serve as on-demand office and meeting spaces. A central campus can be maintained for the physical structures that are necessary to the operation of the business.
- Phone line should be routed through cell phone with option to route through IP or land line on demand.
- LAN and intranet infrastructure (application servers, databases, etc.) should be limited to services necessary to support extranet infrastructure (cloud application servers, databases, employee portal, etc.).
What it means for the business:
- Reduced or eliminated need for physical office space.
- Reduced equipment costs. Wires, routers, switches, etc. for computers and phones are expensive, as is their maintenance.
- Reduced utility costs.
- Fewer disruptions due to sick days, vacations, etc. as physical location is no longer an issue.
- Increased morale implicit in flexibility.
- Total increase in productive time (1800 per year is standard, assuming all time is used productively). Employees can take breaks off the clock.
- Total increase in productivity. Working in different locations makes employees more productive. Variety inspires creativity.
- Employees are empowered with responsibility, and they can be held accountable for results, regardless of hours and logistics.
- Ability to hire a geographically diverse talent pool without the overhead of physical spaces and a reduced effect of timezone differences on the work day.
What it means for employees:
- Unprecedented flexibility with schedule and location.
- Take a cross-country trip without missing a day of work.
- Pick up children from school every day.
- Work four days each week.
- Work seven days in a week to make up for short days.
- No more awkward requests for time off or sick time. This is built into conversations with manager about schedule.
- Increased responsibility means increased autonomy.
- Explicit off-duty time can guarantee rest.
How to get started:
- Just do it! Work with your company to implement a pilot system.
- Pick a good, collaborative calendar system. Make sure everyone knows how to use it appropriately.
- Pilot must be large enough to establish subculture within company.
- Ensure communications tools (video chat, phones, etc.) are set up and easy to use.
