It s all about convenience

It's all about convenience

And here is the key to the whole ˜where-I-work' issue: it isn't static, it will change depending on the individual's current requirements. In a previous book Talent Magnet ^[4] I pointed out that changing circumstances in an individual's life can seriously affect whether or not they choose to work with you. In that book, I referred to the fact that a single person, living in a city, would be happy to go to work each day in that city. But as lives change, so do expectations. I described one such situation where the single person marries and immediately needs to find a bigger place, which possibly means a longer commute. Later the couple decide to have children, which probably means a move to the suburbs. All this defines whether or not the person now wants to make that commute or find another work option to meet their emerging lifestyle needs.

Interestingly enough, not long after I wrote that, one of my publishers decided to quit its central London offices and head for a brand new headquarters in a system-built industrial park 50 or more miles out of the city. Most of its staff were single, and few had children. Average age was probably 28-30. What no one in management took into account was that these people would (a) have to reverse commute out of London and (b) would not be in a place where they could meet their friends after work or at lunchtime. The new location - looking good on paper by surrendering expensive London real estate - was entirely what the employees didn't want from their lifestyle. Result? Even though media jobs were scarce at the time, over 70 per cent of the employees took the redundancy package that the company legally had to offer (because the move was over a certain distance). It is probably the best illustration I have seen of an organisation not realising that the numbers don't matter - the people do. If you can't satisfy employee expectations you won't be able to engage them and seek their commitment to the job. In fact you will actively destroy your key asset- your people. Why? Because you made it inconvenient to get to work and ruined their lifestyle/workstyle needs and expectations.

One further point. Several people have asked me if allowing people to work in different, more flexible, ways and places means that a working relationship deteriorates over time. My view is that a lot depends on how you set it up. Set policy and procedure on this and get a real contract. But also don't forget that in this lifestyle/workstyle world relationships will change anyway, as the person's needs and expectations shift. No one today lives in a static situation for very long, so people's lifestyle expectations are in a constant state of flux. Whether, as an employer, you choose to meet those expectations as they change is up to you.

^[4] (2002) Talent Magnet . Financial Times/Pearson Education.