CHAPTER 20

The Downside of Flex Time

by Maura Thomas

Remote and hybrid work naturally leads to flex time. Employees with small children might be getting the majority of their work done at night after the kids are in bed. Others are working early and hoping to quit early. Still others are starting late and working late.

If everyone on your team is working different hours, you may be getting emails and messages at all hours of the day, night, or weekend—which can quickly create an expectation of an “always-on” environment. That might be necessary in some industries, but certainly not in every industry and not for everyone in any industry. But once this kind of culture takes root in your company, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to reset ...

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