By now, you have probably engaged in social media, water cooler or mom’s group talk about Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, and her infamous “no working from home” edict to her employees.  I have watched this debate and media coverage from the sidelines over the last couple of weeks and now want to share my two cents on how I lead.

I have experienced nearly the entire range of office environments when it comes to flexibility (or lack thereof).  I worked in an office that was strictly 9am-5pm at my office desk (government) and in positions where I was expected to work longer than 9am-5pm, plus juggle significant business travel.  I also navigated a workplace with a “core hours” policy (you must be in between say 11am – 3pm, but when you come and go outside of those hours is up to you, as long as you work a full eight hours total in the office each day).  Furthermore, I am the spouse to someone who works on billable hours in a corporate environment.  I have a good sense of the pros and cons of each setup. 

When the opportunity came for me to be at the helm of an organization, I was in the unique position to set the tone for the office culture and policies around flexibility.  It became crystal clear to me early on that empowering employees to make their own decision about hours and location is the right way for me to run the organization.  Now that I am a working mother, I believe in this leadership approach even more.  Flexibility is definitely not just an issue or benefit for parents; but it sure is helpful to be given decision-making authority over how to plan your day to be a good worker and parent, rather than being told you must fit into someone else’s idea of what schedule or office setup makes you effective.

Here’s what I have discovered about flexible office culture along the way:

Trust: If you don’t trust your employees enough to believe they can be productive and committed from an out-of-office (home, Starbucks, whatever) environment, you either have trust issues, have the wrong employees or some combination thereof.  If your employees are so weak in their work ethic that they will just plop in front of the television at home during work hours, they probably are not very productive in the office either. Not everyone likes to work from home.  And not all offices could manage with all-satellite employees (thinking of folks that have to meet with clients or need to be at meetings with other individuals or groups where tapping in by phone or video is not feasible or ideal). But you need to trust your employees, communicate well with them and empower them to find the right balance that works for them. 

Innovation: Stimulation of the brain and creative thinking come from exposure to new people, ideas and settings.  Sitting in front of a computer at the same desk day in and out, or with the same team members, is dull and routine.  I have struck some amazing conversations with people in coffee shops that have led to networking or new ideas.  I have even found inspiration for a project simply by taking a break at lunch to wander the neighborhood a little bit and get some fresh air.

Communication: Welcome to 2013 folks.  Video chat is an easy option for one-on-one and group conversations and brings forth the non-verbal cues you may miss by email or phone (FaceTime, Skype, Google+ Hangout, you name it…it’s free, it’s easy and virtually everyone in the working world has been on video at some point).  We have a VoIP telephone setup in our office, which I can easily forward to my home or cell phone when I’m away from my desk, enabling my official office extension to be the phone line I’m picking up or calling from.  My staff uses Gchat continuously throughout the day, regardless of where folks are located.  It’s an efficient and easy way to manage those questions you would normally pop into an office with.   I have yet to encounter a situation where we as a staff internally could not communicate effectively being in different locations.  Frankly, in-person staff time is most important for bonding and enjoying each other’s company and we do that as we feel we need to (for instance, we have regular staff outings to a baseball game, or art class.  Also, some of my satellite employees fly in to be a part of the office culture and meetings for short stints; but it’s a no pressure situation, it’s a decision we all come to).

Happiness: Employees are happier when you give them direction over their lives.  As an employer, I have my hands full with fiscal and programmatic responsibilities for the organization.  The last thing I have time for or need to do is meddle in how my staff is spending their time from hour to hour. 

I trust and believe in my employees’ ability to make good decisions and perform well for the organization.  When I advertise to fill positions, I make it clear to candidates that we have a flexible environment; if that is not right for them, they can choose another job.  I provide employees who are new to a flexible environment with the tools and support they need to be effective.  I give staff choice.  Some individuals choose to work in the office every single day.  They may want the opportunity to get out of their apartment or feel they can focus better in the office.  Other staff members are totally satellite all the time.  (I might add here, by opening your mind to a flexible environment, you may be able to recruit the right talent to fill your positions from unsual places – what’s the chance that the exact right people for all of your roles are in the same location(s) as your physical office?  My pool of candidates extends to anyone that is best for the job.)  Many of us are in a setup somewhere in the middle between home and office; such as using bad weather or heavy traffic days to avoid a lengthy commute and applying that saved time to the work instead, while choosing other days to be in the office to enjoy camaraderie with colleagues, conduct external meetings and utilize office equipment and space. The proof is in the pudding as they say.  My organization is thriving, I know my staff is happy with their work environment and I feel respected and appreciated as a leader.