That's the thought provoking question posed in a recent Harvard Business Review blog post. The idea is that for many jobs, there is no reason to have everyone in the office from 9-5 on Monday through Friday and then have everyone go home on Saturday and Sunday.

Companies are increasingly doing business across time zones and geographies. Technology gives us the flexibility of accessing our corporate networks from wherever we are. Social networking tools help us collaborate without the need to be physically in the same place.

I believe that more flexibility in work schedules is the right thing to do but they can cause communication issues if not handled properly. When your team is spread across multiple days and shifts it is imperative to have a system in place to ensure that peers, clients and bosses know where each staff member is on a given day. Voicemail is an easy way to accomplish this. Have each person update their voicemail every day and provide their status. Here are two examples:

Out of the Office: "Hi, This is Jennifer. Today is Thursday July 10. I'm out of the office today, returning on Monday July 14. If you need immediate assistance please call Jim at extension 456 otherwise leave a message and I'll respond when I return."

In the Office: "Hi, This is Jennifer. Today is Thursday July 10. I'm in the office today. Please  leave a message and I'll repsond by the end of the day."

If they plan to be out for an extended time, say for vacation, they can provide one message that's good for the entire period. " …I'll be out of the office the week of July 7th, returning on the 14th….."

This simple technique will reduce frustration from clients and will help your team be viewed as more responsive.