A recent study from the Future Forum found that knowledge workers want more flexibility in their jobs than ever before. In fact, 78% want location flexibility, with three in five preferring a hybrid working arrangement. And 95% are looking for schedule flexibility.

As you’re trying to attract top talent to your promotional products company – and keep current staffers satisfied – it’s worth revisiting policies to make sure they’re in line with what job seekers want. Still, how do you implement a more flexible workplace without sacrificing productivity and collaboration? Consider these tips to help make the transition into the flexible workplace of the future.

Get five tips for building a more flexible workplace in less than a minute. #FlexibleWorking #hybrid #WFH pic.twitter.com/5JShevayp6

— Theresa Hegel (@TheresaHegel) February 9, 2022

1. Give your employees more freedom. Rather than fighting against the flexibility trend, consider embracing it instead. “Giving employees autonomy shows that you as a leader trust them to do their work without needing to intervene,” says Mark Pierce, CEO of Cloud Peak Law Group. “It also frees leadership up to focus on the most important tasks at hand, rather than simply monitoring employees.”

2. Schedule “availability blocks” into the week. Choose an hour or two during the week when employees are expected to be available for meetings, calls or team check-ins. “This still gives employees plenty of flexibility while ensuring things like meetings aren’t a giant scheduling nightmare,” says Logan Mallory, vice president at Motivosity, an employee engagement firm.

3. Be crystal clear on your policies. “If you’re implementing a four-day workweek, then do it – don’t just say, ‘If you get everything done before Friday, then you can take it off,’” says Jeffrey M. Gabriel, co-founder of Saw.com, a company with a remote workforce. “There’s been a lot of speculation and lack of clarity over the past few years. Companies really need to start making their policies clear if they want to keep on with flexible work.”

4. Focus on measurable goals. David Patterson-Cole suggests managers have a bigger-picture, metrics-focused outlook when assigning work. The CEO of Moonchaser, a salary negotiation tool for software engineers, suggests asking questions like “What are we trying to accomplish?” rather than things like “What do I need this person to do?” He adds: “You’d be amazed how quickly some work can go, while other tasks need slow and steady effort to get done. Letting your team find their natural rhythm is better than mandating work hours.”

5. Invest in technology. Product management software that allows teams to track tasks and document processes “helps to keep everyone connected and on track to hit their goals,” says Kathryn Boudreau, operations and product marketing manager of CallerSmart, an app that allows users to investigate mystery phone numbers and avoid unwanted calls and texts. Software like Slack or Microsoft Teams allows for quicker digital communication than email and help to spur collaboration. But encourage employees to disable notifications after regular business hours to help them maintain work-life balance.