Tom Hunt, Founder and CEO of a digital marketing company, Fame, took to LinkedIn to share how he reacted when one of his new employees asked for time off. He shared that he "immediately approved" their leave request and also stopped the employee from explaining "why he was taking a holiday".
"A new team member asked me to approve his holiday. I immediately approved it. He then went on to explain why he was taking the holiday. My reply: 'I don't need to know the details. I hired you to do a job and I trust you to get it done'. You choose how to get your work done," Hunt wrote. In the following lines, he shared that he also "doesn't need to know" why someone is late for work or leaving early. He explains that it is because he trusts that his team members will get their job done. "Flexible work is the future," he added and wrapped up the post with a picture.
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Take a look at this post by the CEO here:
Since being shared a few days ago, the post has accumulated more than 85,000 reactions. The share has also prompted people to post varied comments.
What did LinkedIn users say about this CEO's post?
{{/usCountry}}Since being shared a few days ago, the post has accumulated more than 85,000 reactions. The share has also prompted people to post varied comments.
What did LinkedIn users say about this CEO's post?
{{/usCountry}}"Trust and flexibility aren't perks, Tom Hunt. They're the pillars of a forward-thinking workplace," argued a LinkedIn user.
"I agree with flexibility and believe in courtesy and communication. Letting staff/leadership (I see this as a two-way street) know that you are running late, need to leave early, etc., helps the team know what to expect, enables the team to adapt more easily (if needed), and opens up communication lines for everyone. It lets team members know they are valued (and so is their time). Also, there are some jobs in which knowing ahead of time is of paramount importance- can't run a classroom with no teacher, can't run an emergency hotline with no staff, can't open the store if nobody with the 'key' shows up, can't work a job that requires two people to get the job done if one isn't there, etc. It's about flexibility, courtesy, and communication," joined another.
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"Companies have a mindset that they are paying for 9-5 and that if you do the job in less time, then they need fewer resources or owe you less money. However, what they are paying for is my ability to do a job. If I can do it in half the time as my colleagues, why should I be paid for working fewer hours? I still did the same work as everyone else. The job is done, so why not log off and use the downtime for something else?" added a third.
"All the time. When an employee shares reasons or asks for approval, it is only an act of respect and professional courtesy. When I ask for approval, it is simply to give my team a chance to work around any situation that may cause them to shuffle things around. It is to help the team as a whole. Otherwise, I do not feel obliged to tell anyone my whereabouts, nor should I. And no one should ever try to make me believe any deviation to these truths," wrote a fourth.