Aaron Sullivan
“Bot” may be in our name, but robots aren’t necessarily our premium priority at Botkeeper. In fact, we have a whole team of humans behind the bots, and we put their happiness and quality of life right up there with creating and maintaining the revolutionary tech that is automated bookkeeping with a human touch.
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See, fostering a great company culture is one of our biggest priorities, and while there are lots of ways we do this, one of the most important priorities is flexibility.
We understand that it doesn’t always make sense for our team members to be in the office 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. By giving our team members flexibility with work arrangements and work hours, we’ve been able to build a talented team while keeping morale high, stress low, and—most importantly—making work-life balance a reality. It’s all about balance!
We invite you to take a look behind the scenes and into working at Botkeeper to learn how flexibility fuels the human touch behind our automated bookkeeping.
What Are the Benefits of Workplace Flexibility?
Good question! Workplace flexibility means giving your team members the opportunity to make their own choices for when, where, and how they engage in work — whether this means flexible hours outside of the normal 9-to-5 hustle, or the option to work from home a few days a week.
Studies show that upwards of 90% of employees would like more flexibility at work, yet lots of employers have been slow to adopt this practice, fearing a decrease in productivity. We know that that’s not always the case. In fact, workplace flexibility can attract top talent, boost morale, reduce stress, improve work-life balance, build commitment and trust, and ultimately lead to a significant uptick in company productivity. In our short history, we’ve seen each one of these results played out in reality!
Here are five of the top reasons we encourage flexibility in the workplace.
1. Flexibility helps us recruit top talent
When your team members don’t need to be in the office, suddenly your talent pool becomes global. Between company intranets, project management software, video chat, and the like, it’s easier than ever to collaborate whenever and wherever, even if employees are thousands of miles apart.
2. Flexibility helps us maintain morale and team member satisfaction
Flexibility in the workplace has been linked to less absenteeism and turnover as well as higher levels of engagement and productivity. Why? It all boils down to control. When employees feel like they have control over their lives (and let’s face it, our careers are a large portion of our lives), they tend to be happier. Workplace flexibility allows employees to feel like they have control over their work, and as a result, they feel trusted and valued. For our team, we know that this helps boost overall morale and team member satisfaction.
3. Flexibility helps us reduce stress
It’s no mystery that stress is bad for us and can cause a variety of negative symptoms that affect your body, your mood, and your behavior. Some workplace stress is normal, but when your job becomes too much to handle, it can take an emotional and physical toll. Fortunately, there are lots of factors that can help reduce the stress that team members may experience in the workplace, and one of the biggest is flexibility. When team members have flexibility, they’re less likely to be stressed and more likely to be satisfied with their jobs overall.
4. Flexibility helps us promote good work-life balance
Despite what some old-school executives might argue, we weren’t put on this planet just to work. We also know that things like family needs, life responsibilities, and other personal obligations can’t always wait until 5 o’clock, which is why work-life balance is so important. Flexibility allows team members to have better work-life balance, which is one of the biggest benefits employers can provide. By having workplace flexibility, our team members can meet the HVAC technician at their home in the morning, go to their child’s parent-teacher conference in the afternoon, or make it to that mid-day Pilates class. Talk about flexibility!
5. Flexibility helps us build commitment and trust
Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of flexibility in the workplace is that it helps build commitment and trust with team members—and when it comes to business relationships, nothing is more important than trust. When employers trust their team members to make decisions about the best way to do their work, they feel empowered. Studies show that this leads to a stronger investment in their work and higher retention rates as a result.
How We Incorporate Flexibility into Botlife
At Botkeeper, we know that the benefits of workplace flexibility are undeniable. That’s why we strive to foster a flexible work environment with working hours, work-from-home opportunities, and more.
We understand that people have passions (and responsibilities) outside of work, and with our flexible work environment, they can pursue those. And it works! Our team members take advantage of work-life balance in a variety of ways, whether that means spending time with loved ones, participating in events at church, or fostering kids.
For Accountant Nathaniel Navarro, the flexibility allows him to focus on two of the things he cares about most: his family and his church. As a result, Navarro believes both his professional and personal life are better for it.
“Because of the day schedule, I’m still able to tend to my other passions, especially church activities, as well as time for my family and myself,” Navarro says. “Being able to grow my skill set while still having time for family, my other passions like helping out at our church, and going home on time, all helps me grow professionally and personally.”
Like Navarro, family is a driving factor for why workplace flexibility is important for other team members, too. The ability to work from home to be with her infant was one of the reasons Team Leader Susanna Henson gravitated to Botkeeper in the first place.
“The flexibility of being at home allows me to balance my life and allows me time to spend gardening, cooking, and being with my daughter instead of commuting,” Henson says. “Botkeeper is so supportive—it’s great to be able to work from home, have flexibility, and be a part of a fantastic company.”
For Team Lead Tanya Holmes, autonomy is the greatest benefit. “[I] don't feel micromanaged and have the ability to make decisions as needed,” she says. “Being able to work remotely and have a great work-life balance is a huge perk.”
While some things are ever-changing, the support of one another is constant at Botkeeper. As an employer, we believe that we owe it to our team to create a flexible environment that makes people look forward to coming to work, whether that means coming into the office or signing on at home.
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