We’re big on flexibility at Purple Ink – in case you haven’t heard, we recently won a When Work Works Award for our innovative and flexible workplace practices! It’s not just good for the employees; it’s a smart strategy for the employer as well. Organizations with flexible workplace practices have less absenteeism and turnover, and more engagement and productivity. It helps with attracting new talent, too.

Ready to make your workplace a little more flexible? These are some initiatives that have worked for us.

Adjustable Hours

Ultimately, for most roles, what matters is that you’re getting your work done. At Purple Ink, we have an agreed-upon number of hours to complete per week, but no set schedule. As long as employees aren’t falling behind or creating communication issues with our clients and other team members, we don’t require them to work the traditional 5 days a week, 8-5 timetable. That means, for example, if it works best for an employee to condense their hours into 4 days instead of 5, that’s okay; team members that aren’t “morning people” can start their day later; and taking off in the middle of the day to go to an appointment or pick up kids from school is completely acceptable.

Remote Work

While we have an office (the ink pad) where the Purple Ink team can work or have meetings, our entire team works remotely. We have team members based in three different states, and even those who live near our Carmel, IN headquarters are welcome to work from wherever they’d like. Studies show that people often prefer to work alone when they need to be especially productive, remote work can reduce distractions and stress, and most Millennials are more interested in working for companies that allow them to work remotely. Worried about your team becoming disconnected? Purple Ink uses tools like Slack and Zoom to keep in touch, has monthly all-hands meetings so we’re staying updated, and does strategic planning together at annual company retreats.

Flexibility for Families

Your team’s family life can have a significant impact on their work life (Read The JoyPowered Family for more on that). Make sure your employees know you care about them as more than just a contributor to the company’s bottom line! Offer leave not only for women giving birth, but for spouses/partners and adoptive parents as well. At Purple Ink, we kick it up another notch by allowing employees to bring their children to the office when they need to – and pets are also welcome! And, like I mentioned earlier, flexible hours and remote work help accommodate for the needs of employees’ families, whether that’s working from home to keep an eye on the kids or popping out to take them to an appointment during the workday.

Consider Employees’ Needs

You may not think of everything ahead of time. Encourage your employees to talk to you about their needs as they arise and be willing to work with them on a solution that works for both of you. Employees that feel trusted and supported will stay with you longer – at Purple Ink, we have a retention rate of over 85%, and we attribute that in large part to the culture we’ve created with our flexible practices.

If you like the idea of a flexible workplace but are a little daunted by the implementation, reach out to us. We’d be happy to help you create a workplace as JoyPowered as ours!