Old School Rules That Don’t Work in a Modern Office
Times are a changin’. As your business reviews the employee policies and procedures manual for the new year, it might be time to ease up on some of the old school rules in the workplace. Modern offices are giving their staff some pretty cool perks — and they’re expected by your new recruits!
Set Number of PTO and Vacation Days
Businesses want their employees to get the rest and relaxation they need. Why? It makes them more productive when they are at their desks and have a positive attitude about their employer. A new trend to offer unlimited PTO days (pre-approved by management, of course) and the ability to earn additional vacation time through the year isn’t uncommon. Heck, Adobe employees get two months off each year and HubSpot offers paid sabbaticals after a 5-year tenure.
Punching in from 9-to-5
Hello, flex schedule.
Many offices are allowing employees to create their own work hours to accommodate fitness classes, daycare drop-offs and pick-ups and even to encourage long lunches with friends and family. As long as employees get their required hours per day in, who cares if they work at 5 am or 11 pm?
Spending all Day in a Cubicle
With the accessibility of digital devices, there’s no reason to be tethered to a workstation any longer. Working from home full time, or even a few remote days a week, are commonplace in the modern office. So, take your laptop to the park or snuggle up to the fireplace at the coffee shop and bang out those reports on your laptop!
All-Weather Work Policy
There are so many jokes about coming into work no matter what. If the streets are flooding or your car is covered in 18-inches of snow, you better be at your desk bright and early. This rule needs to go! Again, with laptops, emails, smartphones and wifi, we really can work anywhere. Let your employees stay home on bad weather days and work remotely.
Chair and Desk Workspace
The modern workplace is evolving to meet more health conscious standards. Treadmill desks, standing desks, balance ball chairs, yoga mats and colorful hand weights are commonplace in personal workspaces. GeoEx in San Francisco even offers yoga classes to employees in-office! Is it time to give your office a makeover?
Fish Only Pets Rule
Remember when it was super cool to have a fish tank in the lobby or hallway? Now business culture is embracing the calming nature of pets in the workplace. So, why not allow workers to bring their well-trained dogs to the office? Or encourage people to have an office cat to cuddle on their lap?
Annual Employee Recognition
It’s pretty old school to have an annual employee award presentation at the company Christmas party. Why not celebrate employee achievements all year long? Have a monthly staff potluck and give shout outs for work anniversaries, birthdays, milestones and remarkable achievements. Don’t forget to present colorful certificates to the recipients!
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