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Key Takeaways Flexibility only works when there’s clear accountability and visibility — leaders need to know who’s available, what’s being worked on, and whether work is moving without delays.
Different roles require different levels of flexibility — customer-facing and delivery roles need more structure, while output-based or leadership roles can often handle more autonomy if expectations are clear.
If you have employees, you’ve probably experienced a team member or two ‘microshifting.’ It starts with someone stepping away to handle something personal while you think they’re working on a project or “clocked in.” You don’t normally even notice until you’re sending a Slack message and not getting a response, or you can’t get in touch with them at a random time they would never expect you to be reaching out.
There’s, of course, the commentary on social media where the perspective is that if someone is getting their work done, then why does it matter when they’re doing it. But that perspective doesn’t take into account the overall negative impact it has on the business, other team members and ultimately the client results.
To be clear: I am not against flexibility when it’s transparent and agreed upon.
When teams work across departments and time zones, the problem is not whether people are working, because they certainly are. The problem is visibility. Leaders constantly need to know who is available, who is responsible for what, and whether work is moving without any bottlenecks. When that breaks down, microshifting becomes a real operational issue.
Presence and alignment matter
Most leaders think about microshifting as a culture or work-life balance issue. For me, it is more of an execution issue.
I have personally seen this with senior staff and management. A critical meeting happens, but not all the key people are there. The team moves forward, and the missing person gets filled in later. However, getting “filled in later” is not the same as being part of the conversation when decisions are made.
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