stress and burnout can be minimized .
Challenges can also be minimized by recognizing when employees are most energized and productive and adjusting work schedules accordingly . The success of a flexible workplace hinges on the ability of leaders to trust their employees and refrain from micromanaging them .
A new way of thinking
According to a recent job insight survey , when employees are forced to choose between flexibility and stability , most will choose stability .
But do we need to choose one over the other ? Why can ’ t we have both ? As many know from the last few years , employees can be productive at different times and in different places when leaders provide the necessary resources and support to make flexibility possible
Leaders have the valuable opportunity to challenge the typical “ either / or ” way of thinking and instead using “ both / and ” thinking . A personal experience of mine exemplifies this .
Once , during a teaching session , a sales executive recounted a story about an employee of hers who asked to work remotely due to mental health challenges . This leader turned down the request , insisting the sales team could not successfully sell remotely .
A debate ensued among the other executives and a suggestion was put forth : Why not have the sales team try selling remotely and see how it goes ?
Either / or thinking stops new solutions from emerging . It misses how creative tension — the gap between where a group is and where it wants to go — can help us challenge conventional assumptions about work , like the belief that flexibility and stability are mutually exclusive .
In light of the prevalence of mental health issues , and the importance of fostering inclusive workplaces , leaders who act as agents of change can help reshape conventional notions of leadership and build better workplaces .
This article was originally published in The Conversation . Read the original article here .
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