[Click for full infograph]

What do Millennials want? Flexibility and independence top the list, according to a new study, “Millennials and the Future of Work,” from oDesk and Millennial Branding that polled nearly 2,000 people aged 19 to 30. Here’s some of what the study found, and what it means for your business.

Millennial Workers Want Freedom and Flexibility

Millennial workers want freedom and the flexibility to work how they want.  Many Millennials have a “freelance” attitude. Almost nine in 10 (89 percent) say they prefer to work when and where they choose (compared to a corporate, 9-to-5 job). When comparing freelance work to “regular” jobs, Millennials say freelancing gives them more freedom to:

• Work wherever they like (92 percent).
• Work whenever they like (87 percent).
• Work on more interesting projects (69 percent).
• Travel while working (half say they’d prefer this to taking vacation time).

You Might Have a Closet Freelancer on Your Staff

Many Millennials are biding their time at regular jobs and freelancing on the side until the time is right to leave.

Nearly three-fourths (71 percent) of those who work regular jobs want to quit to be entirely independent; 61 percent say they likely will quit within two years, and 17 percent say they definitely will.

Millennials Have a New Definition of “Entrepreneur”

For 90 percent of Millennials surveyed, being an entrepreneur means having a certain mindset, rather than starting a company. Aspects of this mindset mentioned included being a self-starter, risk-taker, visionary and someone who “spots opportunity.”

Millennials see themselves as building entrepreneurial careers whether they work for someone else or freelance – they don’t necessarily have to start their own businesses. In fact, more than half (58 percent) already classify themselves as entrepreneurs.

Millennials Have a Rosy View of Entrepreneurship

Three-fourths of them say the benefits of being an entrepreneur outweigh the downsides. In fact, for 57 percent of Millennials there are no downsides to entrepreneurship. More than one-third (38 percent) say they’d pursue a promising startup opportunity rather than finish a traditional college degree.

What do these figures mean to your business?

• Satisfy their desire for freedom: Keep Millennials on your staff happy and attract more of this age group by offering flexibility and the ability to work from home or on the road.

• Help them move ahead: Millennials have an insatiable desire to move faster in their careers. Provide lots of feedback and let them know what they can do to improve.

• Sell them on “small:” Millennials hate having to follow corporate rules and climb the steps of the corporate ladder, making small businesses a natural fit for them. If you’re looking to hire, promote your small business as a place where they can wear different hats and learn a lot of skills.

• Tap into Millennials’ entrepreneurial attitudes: Since Millennials can feel entrepreneurial even as employees, take advantage of their self-starting nature. Give them projects of their own and let them run with them.

The post Millennials Are Rewriting the Rules of Work and Entrepreneurship appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Are your employees engaged in their jobs? A Gallup poll measured the growth of employee engagement and which of 12 different occupations tend to boast the highest engagement.

What Exactly Do I Mean By Employee Engagement?

Gallup defines it as people who are “deeply involved in and enthusiastic about their work and actively contributing to their organization.” In contrast, employees who are “actively disengaged” feel emotionally disconnected from their jobs and their workplace, which can only harm their companies’ performance. Somewhere in the middle are employees who are simply not engaged. While they may be satisfied with their jobs, they’re not emotionally connected to them, making them less likely to go above and beyond.

Gallup compared engagement levels from 2012 (when the study was conducted) to levels in 2009 at the depths of the Great Recession. Overall, while engagement has improved among almost all occupations, the difference is not huge. Thirty percent of employees report being engaged, similar to the 28 percent who were engaged in 2009. About one in five (18 percent) are actively disengaged; the rest are not engaged.

The group that enjoyed the most engagement and the most growth in engagement was managers and/or executives. Their engagement level was up 10 percentage points from 2009, to 36 percent. Manufacturing and transportation workers are the least engaged in their jobs, which is no different from 2009. And service workers are the only group whose engagement actually dropped from 2009 to 2012 – Adown 3 percentage points, to 29 percent.

What’s the Reason for the Different Engagement Levels?

Gallup theorizes that tough times might inspire managers and executives to work harder and become better leaders, increasing their engagement or that they simply feel more secure in their jobs than lower-level employees.

Why Aren’t Service Workers Engaged?

Gallup points out that service industries are typically most affected by consumers’ discretionary spending, which has put them in a tough place for the past few years. But the study also notes that service workers, more than any other group, don’t believe their opinions matter at work.

To me, this hits at the core of the issue. Having the ability to direct or influence what you do at work is a big factor in engagement, and executives enjoy this ability much more than do service, manufacturing or transportation employees.

Another Key Issue?

A separate Gallup poll found that engaged employees are far more likely to work at businesses that are hiring than non-engaged or disengaged employees. In fact, 40 percent of managers and execs in the 2012 study say their companies are hiring—a big increase from the 26 percent who said so in 2009. Perhaps seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, and knowing that their teams are finally getting the extra help they’ve needed during the recession, is driving higher engagement among managers and execs.

Finally, Gallup data consistently show that employees are more likely to be engaged when their direct supervisors are highly engaged managers.

What Can You Do to Increase Employee Engagement?

Give your employees more autonomy and ask for their input and opinions—then, whenever possible, act on them. Hire more help to take the load off overwhelmed employees who have “checked out.”

Focus on your managers, particularly those who supervise front line employees directly. Keeping them engaged has a “trickle-down” effect on the whole team.

Business Leader Photo via Shutterstock

The post Are Tough Times Inspiring Better Leaders and Increasing Engagement? appeared first on Small Business Trends.

The lack of women entrepreneurs in the tech industry, and the shortage of female tech employees, have been topics of much discussion. Now a new survey from Elance, Women in Technology, suggests virtual work might be the key to women finally achieving parity with men in tech roles.

The survey, which polled more than 7,000 independent professionals worldwide, found that women are finding more tech opportunities in the virtual world than in the real one. Some 70 percent say online work gives them more opportunities to succeed in technology than traditional on-site work does.

Why are women turning online for tech jobs or to run their tech businesses?

Women in Technology

Online Work Offers a Level Playing Field

Online, gender discrimination is neutralized, Elance’s results suggest. Instead of being perceived as women, female entrepreneurs and tech employees can get respect based on their skills, merits and accomplishments.

Online Work Provides Flexibility for Work/Life Balance

For working moms, whether they’re employees or entrepreneurs, flexibility is key. Virtual work enables both tech entrepreneurs and tech employees to balance their work and family time better. Sixty percent of women in the Women in Technology study say online work allows them to manage personal and professional lives.

Online Work Provides the Ability to Build a Business

Sixty percent of women say working as an independent contractor with multiple clients is easier than trying to find full-time work in the tech field. Virtual work enables women to build their own businesses instead of becoming employees.

Online Work Provides Intellectual Challenge

Some 65 percent of women in technology say the diverse projects they encounter enables them to improve their skills and provides more learning opportunities than an on-site job would. For women who’ve been out of the work force due to layoffs or child-rearing, online work can help them learn new skills and rebuild their portfolios to attract clients or land a job.

There’s still a way to go in building more opportunities for women in technology, however.  Women in the Elance Women in Technology survey say the following changes are needed to close the tech “gender gap:”

• Providing equal pay to men and women with the same skills (66 percent).
• Parents and teachers providing more inspiration to girls and young women (55 percent).
• Dispelling stereotypes that boys are better than girls in math and science (49 percent).
• Providing more mentoring support for women (47 percent).
• Seeing more women in technology so there are more role models (47 percent).

The lack of female role models or encouragement for women to pursue technology fields is cited by 45 percent of those surveyed as the major impediment to women’s success in technology — even more than cited a lack of job opportunities/the local economy (34 percent).

Is online technology work in danger of becoming a “pink ghetto?”

If women continue to feel they can’t enjoy success IRL (in real life) but only online, then yes. But the women in the Elance Women in Technology survey aren’t worried about this. A whopping 80 percent are optimistic about the future success of women in technology, and 32 percent are extremely optimistic.  

Key to the Future Photo via Shutterstock

The post Is Virtual Work the Key to the Future of Women in Technology? appeared first on Small Business Trends.

[Clean Slate Brand, Lockitron: Home Security Via Smartphone App]

Conventional wisdom has always been that it’s hard to bring a new product to market because consumers have an inherent preference for the familiar. Humans are hard-wired to resist change, because in our caveman days, change meant danger. So whether they’re buying toilet paper for the bathroom or telemarketing services for their business, most people stick with brands they already know versus unknown new brands.

But that may be changing, Trendwatching reports, thanks to new consumer attitudes creating a preference for “clean slate” brands. That is, new and unknown brands that are suddenly enjoying consumer approval.

What’s behind the clean slate trend? Several factors, Trendwatching says. First, big brands are widely perceived as tired or even evil. With just 33 percent of U.S. consumers saying they trust big brands, new, small, innovative businesses have a built-in edge.

Second, consumers are crazy for the new because thanks to social media, everyone wants to be the first to discover and share new trends. Sticking with the tried and true isn’t seen as smart, but as stodgy. Since consumers can quickly find out from friends and family (what Trendwatching calls the “F Factor”) whether a brand is worthwhile, the hurdle of gaining trust is lessened.

Finally, there’s a fresh feeling to new products and brands that consumers like. Newer brands and businesses are typically leaner, more transparent and more flexible. And many new companies and products are based on socially responsible foundations.

So how can you benefit from the clean slate craze? You don’t have to be a startup, or even be launching a new product or service, to take part. Here’s how to wipe the slate clean for your business, no matter what stage you’re in.

New Brands: You Can Benefit From “Clean Slate” Brands

Be Transparent

Complexity befuddles customers and makes them suspicious you’re hiding something. Make your customer service process simple and straightforward. Be transparent to your employees, too.

Share Who You Are

Authenticity is a big part of clean slate brands. Customers want to know who’s behind the business, what they stand for and what the company’s story is. Put your story on your website and in your marketing materials.

Interact

Social media makes it easier than ever to engage with your customers. Don’t just push your messages out to them, but also listen to what they have to say and what they want from you.

Harness the Friend Factor

Solicit testimonials and reviews from satisfied customers. Ask them to share your business on social media and spread the word. Ask for referrals to others who might want to try your product or service. Recommendations build instant trust.

Be Socially Responsible

Don’t try to force this, but if getting involved with causes can flow naturally from your business model, all the better. Tell customers what you do to help the causes you care about and show them how buying from you makes them part of the solution.

Work With Clean Slate Brands

Use locally sourced produce and meats in your restaurant and tell customers where it’s from. Highlight products from small, new or socially responsible businesses in your retail store or on your website. Partnering with other clean slate brands creates a halo effect that boosts your own business.

Visit the Trendwatching site for more examples of clean slate brands that are making waves.

The post How You Can Benefit From “Clean Slate” Brands appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Is your small business planning to hire hourly summer workers?

If so, you’d best get hopping. Snagajob’s annual summer hiring survey found that more businesses are planning to hire hourly workers than last year, and they’re also planning to pay them more.

According to the poll of more than 1,000 hiring managers nationwide, 19 percent plan to hire more summer employees this year, up from 9 percent last year. In addition, wages are at their highest level since the survey launched six years ago. For the first time in two years, hourly wages are projected to rise, from $10.90 last summer to $11.50 on average.

The number of hiring managers who don’t plan to hire any summer workers dropped from 45 percent in 2012 to 31 percent this year. Why are some companies not hiring? The biggest reason, cited by 36 percent was budget concerns. That’s up 9 percentage points from last summer. And while 36 percent plan to give current employees more hours this summer, that’s down 11 percentage points from last year.

Businesses expect just 55 percent of their summer hires will be returning from years past, down from 65 percent last year. That means it will be a good time for new employees to get a foot in the door. Similar to past years, the majority of summer hiring managers expect most of the applicants to be high schoolers or college students.

As in most years, the survey found most hiring will take place in April and May (24 percent and 30 percent, respectively), and 77 percent of all hiring will be done by the end of May. Just 11 percent will still be hiring in June.

Clearly, if you need hourly workers this summer, you shouldn’t delay. Below are some steps to speed and improve your hiring process.

Steps to Improve Your Hiring Process

Create a System

You probably hire for the same types of positions each year. So if you haven’t already, create a job description for each position that includes the duties to be performed, hours needed, skills or experience required and anything else that candidates need to know.

It’s simple to update these annually to add new requirements.

Maintain Records

Keep contact information for past seasonal workers whom you liked and get back in touch with them in advance of your hiring season. It’s always preferable to hire a known quantity than start from scratch.

Note what websites or job boards got good results in the past and use them every year as well.

Put the Word Out

Many good hires come from word-of-mouth, so let your social media friends, family and business contacts know you’re hiring.

Chances are everyone’s got a niece, nephew, son or spouse looking for a seasonal summer job.

Hire for Personality

Skills are important, but attitude is more so. You can teach someone to operate a cash register, but you can’t teach them to be friendly or energetic.

Put reliability, a positive attitude and friendliness above all and, in most hourly positions, you really can’t go wrong.

Do you hire summer workers, and what are your plans for it this year?

Summer Heat Photo via Shutterstock

The post Summer Hiring Heating Up, Steps to Improve Your Hiring Process appeared first on Small Business Trends.

[Jim Cavale, COO of Iron Tribe Fitness]

You could easily liken small business marketing and digital marketing today to an old quote from Samuel Clemons (Mark Twain) about the weather in New England:

“If you don’t like the weather in New England, wait a few minutes.”

And it will change.

For many small business owners, just as they familiarize themselves with one marketing strategy, another one comes along claiming to trump all others. Add to that Google’s ever-shifting (and mostly secret) algorithm changes and it becomes increasingly difficult for entrepreneurs to stick to a marketing plan.

I caught up with several business owners at Infusionsoft’s annual Infusioncon Conference a few weeks ago to see how (or even if) they’ve refocused their marketing efforts in the past two years.

Bourn Creative

Jennifer and Brian Bourn run Bourn Creative, a company that helps other small businesses create websites and build their brands, so they have a thorough understanding of how marketing has shifted. Jennifer says that in the last two years, the “tools haven’t changed, but the way we have to use them” has. Previously, she adds, it was easier for businesses to gain market share, and business owners could get away just doing some self-promotion.

Today, with so much information about your business readily available to your customers (both current and potential), Jennifer advises business owners to focus on branding and building a reputation for their businesses.

For their own business the Bourns say they were “greatly rewarded” after Google changed its algorithms. “Never try to game the system,” they warn, and don’t think SEO is a “magic pill.” They advise business owners to do what’s worked for them in the past two years, “Create great content and optimize it for the end user. Always put the user first.” One of the best ways to do this is creating a blog. “Adding a blog to your website,” Jennifer says, “creates a new opportunity for customers to find you online.”

Another change the Bourns have experienced is the increased effectiveness of Twitter generating traffic to their website. To handle the load, they’ve turned to some third-party automation tools like HootSuite and Tweetbot to augment their real-time conversational tweets. There’s so much competition online these days Brian says so you have to more directly ask for the sale and make it easy for customers to click through and buy. As for Google, he says you can’t fight the changes it (and Facebook) makes so “you have to change and adapt.”

One of the biggest marketing shifts in the past two years has been towards mobile marketing. Brian says make sure your content looks great on mobile devices and that you incorporate responsive design. He suggests you start with a mobile website and not a separate app.

Iron Tribe Fitness

Another entrepreneur who has experienced the rapidly evolving marketing environment is Jim Cavale, the COO of Iron Tribe Fitness (pictured above), a franchiser of gyms. Iron Tribe, which won the Infusionsoft Ultimate Marketer award last year, was launched by Forrest Walden in 2010 with a single location and today boasts 41 franchises. The company is on track to reach 300 units by 2017. Cavale opened the second gym and then teamed with Walden to launch the franchise.

In the beginning Iron Tribe’s primarily used offline marketing, with about 88 percent of potential customers walking into the gym after seeing an ad. In an enormous shift, last year, Cavale says, 88 percent of its customers came from online leads. Email marketing is a more effective tool now for Iron Tribe, and Cavale attributes that to Infusionsoft’s system which automates a good portion of the process.

Cavale’s also noted that SEO is not giving Iron Tribe the return it once did. Today the company is much more active on social media. YouTube has proved very successful for Iron Tribe, as well as Google Local, which Cavale calls very “affordable.” A lot of potential customers check the reviews on Google Local before they come in. Each Iron Tribe has a Facebook “fan page” and all locations use Twitter for customer service and support. Cavale says they actually sold a franchise from a Twitter connection.

SmallBizTechnology

Marketing and technology evangelist Ramon Ray of Smallbiztechnology.com and Infusionsoft says there’s been a marketing shift in the last 24 months to “more engaging and relevant content. Just having a product or service is not enough,” he adds, “business owners must feed the search engines.”

Ray is, of course, using technology to focus more on existing clients in order “to create rabid customers who can turn into evangelists.” And he’s doing more to automate his engagement with new customers, which allows him to reach more people in a shorter time frame.

These entrepreneurs are definitely taking advantage of the rapid pace marketing is evolving. They’re jumping into the fray armed with new strategies and tools to give them a competitive edge. And of course they’re keeping an eye out for the “next, new thing.” But as Ramon Ray says, right now the important thing is to focus “less on selling and more on relationship building.”

The post The Small Business Marketing Evolution appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Spring is here and just like the budding plants, by many accounts the U.S. economy shows signs of slow and steady growth. But nearly four years after the Great Recession officially ended, the sun isn’t warming the hearts of U.S. consumers, many of whom are still feeling frankly pessimistic about the economic outlook, despite indicators of brighter days.

A new study by Mintel, Consumers and The Economic Outlook, conducted in February, and reported in MediaPost, contends that the Great Recession permanently changed Americans’ economic outlook and their attitudes toward their finances and their futures. Here’s some of what Mintel discovered, and what it could mean to your business.

Consumers’ pessimism isn’t fading away. Americans are traditionally resilient and optimistic, but those attitudes aren’t showing up as much as you might expect. Nearly three-fourths (72 percent) of U.S. consumers believe the younger generation will have a harder time financially than they have had. Nearly half (49 percent) believe there are better opportunities for financial success overseas than in the U.S.

While you might expect Millennials just out of college to be struggling the hardest in today’s economy, Mintel found that the younger half of the Baby Boomer cohort and the oldest members of Gen X (aged 45-54) are actually having the most trouble financially. More than four in 10 (41 percent) describe their household as “struggling” or “just getting by,” compared to 33 percent of consumers overall.

Similarly, while you might expect high-income consumers to feel more optimistic in their economic outlook, 10 percent of households with incomes over $150,000 and 16 percent of households with incomes of $100,000-$149,900 say they are struggling or just getting by.

Wage stagnation is a big factor. Overall, 57 percent of consumers expect their incomes to stay the same this year, and 47 percent of those in the $150,000+ income bracket say the same.

The struggles of these demographic groups are bad news for the economy, since they are major drivers of consumer spending. Don’t count on a housing rebound to save things, either. While home sales are picking up in many parts of the country, the housing crash has left many consumers leery of buying homes because they no longer feel confident that home values will appreciate. If fewer home sales take place and home ownership declines, home purchasing may not recover as a primary economic driver.

The future doesn’t seem that bright either, since many consumers aren’t saving enough for retirement—mostly because they barely have enough money to get by today. Although there is a focus on saving, it’s primarily on saving for the short term, rather than investing for retirement. A whopping 82 percent say creating a rainy-day fund for emergencies is a priority, and though 72 percent say they’d like to save more for retirement, the majority don’t even have adequate emergency savings yet.

More bad news for business is that consumers are focused on saving rather than spending, with 87 percent saying paying bills on time is a priority and 76 percent saying that good credit is crucial to financial success. Unable to rely on retirement savings or home equity, Mintel says consumers will focus on achieving financial security by different means. But what those means are is yet to be seen.

How can you target consumers with this mind-set? Marketing messages that appeal to their need for security, certainty and savings will continue to resonate.

Make sure your business is seen as a trusted partner by offering guarantees and providing all the consultation and information customers need so they fully understand and feel confident about what they’re buying from you.

Money Photo via Shutterstock

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Recently I was talking to a small business owner who was complaining about a client she works with. The client had been slow to respond and more difficult to work with because one of their employees was on medical leave, thanks to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

The FMLA requires companies to allow workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to bond with a newborn, newly adopted or newly placed child; care for a seriously ill child, spouse or parent; or care for their own serious health condition without fear of losing their jobs.

Since it was signed into law in 1993, there have been amendments to allow workers with family in the military to take time away from work to deal with situations arising from an immediate family member’s foreign deployment, and up to 26 weeks of leave to care for a seriously ill or injured family member who is in military service.

Ironically, the client my friend was complaining about was a big company, which is why it was affected by the FMLA. Although many small businesses complain about the FMLA, in reality, not many small businesses are affected, since the law doesn’t apply to companies that have 50 or fewer employees.

But even if the FMLA doesn’t apply to your business, should you follow it – or something like it?

I would argue yes. A Department of Labor survey released earlier this year, Family and Medical Leave Act in 2012: Final Report, found that the law has had a positive effect on employees and their families without imposing an undue burden on employers.

Overall, the poll found, employers generally find it easy to comply with the FMLA and employees rarely abuse it. A whopping 91 percent of employers say complying with the FMLA has either no noticeable effect or a positive effect on business operations such as employee absenteeism, turnover and morale. And 90 percent of workers return to their jobs after FMLA leave—so the worry that employees will go on leave, then leave their jobs, is largely unfounded.

A Washington Post article pointed out that The United States is one of just three out of 177 nations that doesn’t require paid parental leave, and spotlighted some small businesses that go above and beyond to offer medical leave to employees in need, even though they aren’t required to under FMLA.

If you want to offer your employees unpaid leave, here are some suggestions:

• Cross-train your employees so they can cover each other’s jobs. Doing this has a lot of benefits even if no one at your business ever needs to take medical leave. It makes handling minor sick days and vacations easier. It also helps your company deal with unexpected surges in demand without having to hire new workers or temps.
• Consider alternatives. If employees don’t need total medical leave, think about whether an alternative such as working part-time or working from home could meet both your business and your employees’ needs.
• Get legal advice. When you offer leave to one person, make sure you aren’t setting a precedent that will cause problems later on. Check with an attorney to set a policy you can live with.

It’s my belief that if you meet your employees halfway, they’ll meet you halfway – and that if you can help an employee out during a trying time in their life, you’ll have their eternal gratitude and loyalty.

It’s simply the human thing to do.

Newborn Photo via Shutterstock

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Overit Media in Albany, New York, is at the leading edge of a trend. The 30-person company was recently featured in Fast Company because of its hourly company-wide business fitness breaks, which range from lunges and pushups to “freestyle dancing.”

Every hour, employees drop what they’re doing when the company P.A. urges them to join in the two-minute group fitness activity. There’s also a power walk at lunch.

When I saw the photos of Overit employees “planking” on their office floors, I giggled. (And also thought that you’d have to have a pretty casual dress code – or a pretty good janitorial staff – to be confident about dropping to the floor at any given moment). But giggles aside, Overit has the right idea.

Making fitness a part of the workday is a concept that’s gaining momentum for many reasons.

Employees who are fit are less likely to get sick or suffer from chronic health problems like back pain or diabetes that can lead to extended time off. Of course, fewer health problems mean fewer doctor visits and lower health care costs – good news for employers and employees alike.

Many companies are dealing with concerns about rising health care costs by urging employees to eat better, exercise more and generally be healthier. But this can be hard to do because at the same time, you’re urging them to work longer hours and do more with less. Because you still can’t afford to replace the employees you laid off back in 2008. Below are three lessons every company can learn from Overit’s business fitness program.

Ways to Put Business Fitness Into Place

Think Small

For many of us, making big changes is hard. Overit’s plan is based on small, simple changes that don’t ask too much of anyone. In itself, taking a two-minute break every hour of the workday, that’s 16 minutes of calisthenics, isn’t going to turn anyone into The Biggest Loser or transform a couch potato into a triathlete.

But it can trigger your employees to think differently about fitness. Exercise makes you feel good and want to do more.

Make it Regular

Because the exercise break is repeated every hour, it drills the benefits of fitness into participants’ heads in a way that a weekly in-office yoga session or shoulder rub can’t. Frequency also benefits the business by getting employees’ blood flowing on a regular basis, which leads to clearer thinking, better work and fresher ideas…all day long.

Do it Together

How many times have you vowed to make a healthy change like doing yoga stretches at your desk or taking a quick walk instead of downing coffee when you need energy at 3 p.m.? You do it for two days, or maybe a week, and then work gets in the way. It’s a lot easier to stick to a new habit when everyone else is doing it with you (and when the P.A. is reminding you).

Group workouts have the added benefit of sending the message, “We’re a team, you’re part of our team and we care about your well-being.” That boosts employees’ mental and emotional health as well as their physical fitness.

How are you working employee fitness into your workday? Do you have a business fitness program in place?

The post The Company That Works Out Together, Works Well Together appeared first on Small Business Trends.

The move goes against the grain at a time when everybody from the federal government to tech startups is embracing the flexibility and cost savings of working remotely.

As someone who initiated working remotly for my team back when I was an employee, I’ve got a lot of experience with what works – and what doesn’t.

At bottom, the work-at-home issue all comes down to trust. In a recent Regus poll of more than 24,000 global workers, a whopping 88 percent say that managers need to be more accepting of flexible work arrangements, and 85 percent feel their bosses need to show more trust in remote employees.

Of course, Regus, which provides flexible workspaces, has a vested interest in the growth of remote work. But its survey points out a disconnect between how managers and employees view remote work. While managers are more likely (79 percent) to view employees who get to the office early and stay late as “hardworking,” employees don’t feel the same. Just 54 percent believe these individuals are hardworking.

If you’ve worked in an office for more than a day, you know there are just as many ways to goof off when you’re at your desk as there are when you’re at home. Face time doesn’t equal productivity, and the focus and concentration boost from working remotely can allow people (at least some people) to get more done.

Regus also found that younger employees have made flexible work more mainstream, which should serve as a warning that if your business plans to be around for more than the next five or 10 years – you’d better meet the younger generation halfway as to how they want to work.

If you’ve still got a nagging feeling that letting employees work at home means paying them to watch Cartoon Network in their jammies all day, how can you get over it?

Here are some trust building tactics that worked for me when it came to working remotely.

Trust Building Tactics: Working Remotely

Make Them Earn It

I always let my team know that working remotely is a privilege, not a right. While everyone had the same right to try working from home, not everyone earned the privilege to keep doing it. Employees needed to show results. Set goals, quotas or whatever measurements work for your business, and make sure staffers are meeting them.

Set Limits

I’m not saying your whole team has to go virtual and begin working remotely. You set the rules, so if you want to limit work-at-home to Tuesdays or every other Friday, go ahead and do it. That way, you know everyone will be in the office on certain days, making it easier to plan meetings and events.

Test it out

Working remotely may not be a fit in your business, so set a trial period to see how it works out. I’m guessing your team will be highly motivated to prove it can work, so you may see huge spurts in productivity.

Communicate Expectations

Do you want all remote employees checking in via Google Hangouts for a 10-minute morning meeting? How quickly do you expect them to answer their phones or IMs? How detailed do they have to be in letting you know where they are at any given moment (do they need to IM you when they head to the restroom)? Set control levels that make you comfortable.

Listen to Your Team

When people are out of the office, it’s more important than ever for you to be plugged in. Pay attention to the buzz among your employees. If some people feel the program isn’t working out, ask why – then deal with the problem. Perceived unfairness can poison your business’s morale.

It’s my experience that slackers will be slackers whether they’re in the office or not. Hard workers will do their best no matter whether they’re on the couch at home or perched at an Aeron chair in your office.

Show your team a little trust, and they’ll pay you back in spades.

A Laptop and A Woman Photo via Shutterstock

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