This month's WFH Alliance virtual discussion brought together contact center leaders to explore a simple question:

Does a shift towards remote require big changes to our WFM models? 

The conversation centered on the assumptions many of us still carry from an office-based world and how we may need to adjust our WFM models as a result. 

The Workforce Has Changed

One of the strongest themes was that employee expectations have evolved.

Several leaders shared that flexibility is no longer viewed as a perk, it's often an expectation. Candidates may not always ask directly, but many assume a certain level of flexibility exists. As a result, organizations are becoming much more intentional about communicating schedule expectations during the hiring process instead of waiting until after training.

Interestingly, the group also challenged the idea that remote work is solely responsible for this shift. The rapid growth of gig economy platforms like Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, and others has fundamentally changed how many people think about work. Workers have become accustomed to choosing when they work, how much they work, and fitting work around the rest of their lives. Even employees seeking traditional contact center roles increasingly compare those opportunities against the flexibility available elsewhere. 

Today's workforce has more choices than ever before, and those choices inevitably influence what employees value when evaluating an employer.

Flexibility Looks Different for Every Organization

The discussion also reinforced that flexibility extends well beyond simply offering working from home.

Leaders shared examples including split shifts, voluntary time off, overtime opportunities, schedule bidding, part-time roles, scheduling based on availability, and creative staffing models supported by global teams and business process outsourcing (BPO) partners.

At the same time, attendees emphasized that flexibility still requires clear expectations. Remote work doesn't eliminate accountability, it simply changes how organizations balance employee needs with operational requirements.

Training Continues to be a Challenge

Interestingly, much of the conversation shifted toward training.

Several organizations noted that virtual training presents unique challenges compared to in-person classrooms. Trainers can't simply walk over to someone's desk to provide support or quickly identify when engagement drops. Even after employees transition to working from home, maintaining engagement and ensuring training is completed continues to require thoughtful processes.

Leaders also discussed some challenges with self-directed training. While scheduling employees for training is relatively straightforward, ensuring they actually complete the assigned learning isn't always as simple. Several organizations shared that incomplete training often leads to additional administrative work, requiring sessions to be rescheduled and tracked separately. As a result, some have begun removing the original training segment when it wasn't used as intended to ensure it reflects in the agents schedule adherence as a means of accountability. However, in most cases this was a manual and unreliable effort.

Shrinkage Didn't Necessarily Decrease...?

One assumption we challenged was whether remote work naturally reduces shrinkage.

The consensus was...not necessarily.

While traditional office distractions may disappear, organizations often invest more time in virtual team meetings, huddles, coaching, and maintaining employee connections. Technology issues and additional training follow-up were also identified as new contributors to shrinkage.

However, several leaders described these activities as intentional investments in maintaining culture and engagement across distributed teams.

Continuing to Challenge Assumptions

The discussion reinforced that many workforce management practices were designed for a very different workforce than the one most organizations manage today.

Remote and hybrid work have certainly changed how organizations operate, but they're only part of the story. The rise of the gig economy, evolving employee expectations, and advances in technology have all influenced what employees expect from work. As staffing models continue to evolve from full-time roles to part-time, seasonal, BPO, and more flexible arrangements, leaders have an opportunity to rethink long-held assumptions about workforce management.

The goal isn't to abandon proven WFM principles. It's to continually ask whether the assumptions behind those principles still fit the workforce we're trying to attract and retain today.