Employers often think that longer hours and more time in the office equals more productivity. The 8-hour workday isn’t based on the optimal number a human can work. In fact, you may be surprised to know that the average worker is only productive for, drum roll, 3 hours a day!

Long hours can lead to more mistakes, loss of motivation, and increased stress. Now, you don’t have to cut down your workdays to 3-hour days. But there is a way to cut down on the negative effect of longer hours: Flexibility. Obviously, there are some positions or industries where flexibility isn’t an option like customer service or manufacturing. For the many industries that can be flexible, here are 4 tips to creating a flexible work environment.

Flexibility at work only can work if you set clear expectations and objectives. Discuss what the measurement of success is for each employee and reward them for high performance. Flexibility in the workplace is all about quality over quantity. Work with your employees to set short- and long-term goals and hold them to those goals. It won’t matter if they are at home or in the office for a couple of hours, if they are able to provide high performance and achieve the goals set, you will see how flexibility can benefit your workplace.

Trust is vital when allowing a flexible work schedule. Flexible hours are one of the most common things that an employee looks for when searching for a new job. Trust that your employees will manage their time and will be productive. Giving them that trust empowers them and can lead to a happier, more productive employee. Be transparent in your expectations of them and expect transparency from them as well. Open communication makes flexibility possible.

Everyone’s schedule is different and now more than ever employees look for a healthier work-life balance. Allowing your employees to work from home can give them that flexibility to use their time to be productive and accomplish goals but to also feel they have more personal or family time. This can relieve a lot of stress for employees that commute to work because it saves them the time in the car and can help them work on their own time.

As mentioned before, open communication is vital to promoting a flexible work environment. Talk to your employees to see what sort of flexibility they would like to have and meet with them to see if it’s working. Getting feedback from your employees can help you plan everything according to their needs and your goals.