Smucker, a Ohio-based company that manufactures jams has managed to bring its 1,300 employees back to office and that too willingly. How? Well, the company expects its employees to be in office during 22 ‘core weeks’ in a year. That means, the employees are free to work from anywhere in the US provided they bring themselves to the office six days a month, that is, 25 per cent of their duty time in a year, reported The Wall Street Journal. The firm, of course, encourages them to be present during the core weeks.
Unlike a hybrid model being followed throughout the year, employees work together and collaborate for specific periods, and also see this time as an incentive to meet.
Leaders and managers tend to keep their schedule flexible during these meeting times so that they can catch up with their colleagues and indulge in unplanned and casual interactions. That means, the ‘core week’ may not always end up being packed with work and official meetings. These weeks can be busy with meaningful collaborations as interspersed with informal conversations and interactions
No wonder these ‘core weeks’ are looked forward to by the team members and their leaders who ensure 70 to 80 per cent attendance during these weeks.
While the company employs about 6,000 people, globally, the ‘core weeks’ model is being followed only by its 1,300 corporate employees at the Orrville headquarters.
