The Future of Organizations: Flexible Hours and Change

Working a 9-5 job? Having to sit in an office five days per week? That is SO last year.

I have been preaching for awhile now that a flexible work schedule and the ability to work remotely is going to be the future. I live it and work it and can praise for days the benefits. The new generation is not going to tolerate the rigidity of the past and talent will be hard to come by as the millennials seek to work in organizations that are flexible and offer work/life balance. As I talk to people I hear more and more that they are being granted flexibility, which is great.

Also, I was reading an article on NCR moving its headquarters to Atlanta. The article was giving some history about the company, and one specific quote caught my eye: “The first 75 years they were ahead of the curve…the last 50, they’ve been chasing.” For the giant corporations that have a lot of history, change is very difficult and slow to implement. The adaptable, nimble organizations of today’s times know that smart, effective change is a must-have. The constant evaluation of business practices is a must. After we emerge from this recession, it will be interesting to see which companies (and people) will be the trendsetters and which will still be lagging behind, struggling to keep up.