The pandemic taught us that flexible work schedules, if structured well, could work successfully in many parts of a business. Perhaps you experienced this with some of your own employees. A recent poll noted that 61% of flexible schedule at-home workers preferred to work from home rather than come back to the workplace. This preference affects many parts of a business plan including how marketing is planned and achieved.

If your business has undergone some of these changes, it might be time to review your marketing strategies and regroup if necessary. Begin by assessing what employees are handling marketing responsibilities. Together, you can explore if all areas of their responsibilities can be achieved at home and with flexible work schedules. If not, you will need to structure other plans or have the employee consider spending some time at the office.

Be prepared to understand that some employees may choose to remain at home. If this meshes with your overall operations, structure how that employee will continue to achieve their job performance goals and collaborate with your team.

Marketing is sensitive to many outside influences, and being ready to adapt to external changes often calls for an immediate response. If challenged by these factors, make certain the employee responsible is capable of connecting with you or other team members to make on-the-spot decisions. Frequent team meetings between in-office and at-home workers can help manage specific marketing strategies.

The pandemic upended many of the ways we have achieved good returns in the past. Now we must think of alternative ways to reach key audiences. Encourage your marketing team to brainstorm ideas and work together to market your products or service for the best return. This may involve teams composed of workers at various locations, so making certain each member can contribute equally is extremely important.

A word about technology and at-home workers: As you have discovered, individual at-home employees operate with differing hardware and internet connectivity. It is essential to assess their capabilities to remain part of the team and to communicate effectively and without jeopardizing your critical systems.

Many employees, having worked from home or with a flexible schedule, are likely to remain as is without the commute or daily office routine. You will have to judge for yourself if this will integrate with your marketing plan or if adjustments must be made. It’s clear that we are in a new pattern when it comes to work routines. The plan is to determine how employees can be accommodated while achieving team (and especially) marketing goals.

The above information is presented for educational purposes and should not be substituted for professional business or legal counseling.