Customized Work Environment
In our 2006 REI employee survey, our headquarters employees shared a desire to work in more flexible work environments and/or a lack of balance in their lives. REI's Customized Work Environment (CWE) was developed to create and sustain a supportive workplace that helps employees be successful at work and in their personal lives.
CWE offers a range of flexible work options: flextime, compressed work weeks, part-time work, job sharing, telecommuting and other arrangements meant to guide managers and employees in considering possible flexible work arrangements. CWEs can directly benefit REI's bottom line through:
- Enhanced ability to attract and retain talented people
- Greater employee satisfaction, morale and engagement
- Increased effectiveness and productivity
- Better coverage of business operations and availability to customers
- Improved/reduced employee commutes
In 2007 we launched a CWE pilot with three departments at our headquarters in Kent, Wash. - Information Technology, Merchandising and Human Resources. These teams were selected because they represent a broad range of functions and jobs, and each group was in a different stage of implementing their own flexible working arrangements.
The pilot is currently testing the process, guidelines and resources we have developed, and generating feedback on possible improvements. In 2008, we expect to launch CWE across REI's headquarters where we are able, and we will evaluate the program for implementation in distribution centers and retail.
