When videoconferencing company Owl Labs surveyed 2,000 U.S. workers for its 2025 State of Hybrid Work report, almost half reported they did not have enough flexibility in regard to when they worked. What kind of flexibility were they hoping to get? Something that Owl Labs calls "microshifting." You may know it simply as breaking up your day as you see fit, taking an hour or so to run an errand or recharge when you need and returning to your work whenever suits you best.
When I know someone is at a doctor's appointment for a few hours, is it appropriate to ask them to use sick time? They didn't originally document it as such, and I'm sure they made up their work in other ways, but I'm struggling to find the balance between flexibility in the current situation and enforcing workplace rules. Are they getting all their work done? Are they working flex hours, so it doesn't matter if they're away from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. because they work a few extra hours later in the day or at night? Is your sense that they're on top of their work and overall working the total number of hours you'd expect in a given week? Do they put in extra time when the work requires it?
When I started building my team, I didn't imagine we'd be scattered across time zones, working from a home office in San Diego, a café in Greece or from a balcony overlooking Bourbon Street. I didn't set out to build a remote-first company. I just wanted to work with smart, reliable people, and I cared more about their output than their office.