The Future is Flexible: Here’s Why It’s Good News for Employers
Flexible working means allowing employees to work hours that suit from a location that suits. It’s clear to see why this is a work perk for them.
But what about for you as an employer? Well, there’s actually plenty for you to gain too. Here are the perks for employers of a flexible working setup.
As of 2023, the ability to work from home feels like less of a perk and more of something that many employees just expect as standard.
A recent study from Boundless found that just 17% of employees would choose to work an office all week. The rest would like to work from home entirely (27%) or mix it up and work part of their week from the office and part from home (52%).
In other words, the vast majority of employees now expect flexibility over their choice of working location.
Flexible working is about more than just location though. It extends to working hours as well and the flexibility for employees to work their hours around their lives and other commitments wherever possible.
We know all about the benefits for employees in doing this – better work life balance, less expense on commuting and overall better morale. But what about the perks for employer?
If you’re considering building in more flexibility for your staff, here’s what you might expect to gain from it.
A Wider Pool of Talent
Attracting and retaining talent is hard, particularly in competitive industries. So not offering any sort of flexibility in sectors where your competitors are offering it puts you at an instant disadvantage.
So first of all, flexible working means you don’t leave yourself behind the other businesses trying to hire the same talent you are.
But it also means you can broaden the net in the hunt for the right people. If you don’t have to hire from within the commutable radius of your office, then you can focus on talent first and location second.
In other words, the whole world just became a potential talent pool.
Better Productivity and Efficiency
Humans are simply not productive all day long. It’s a fact. They can’t just sit down at 9am and work until 5pm without any divergence or variation in their productivity levels. People work better at certain times of the day too and, honestly, it’s different for different people.
By allowing your employees to build their working hours around their lives, you give them the flexibility of working their most productive hours. And what that means is that you get more out of their time on the clock.
Lower Office Costs
If you don’t need a desk in an office for every single employee then you don’t need as much space. And even if you pay stipends for work at home employees, you’ll likely save on expensive centrally located office space.
Motivated Employees are More Productive Employees
The happier your employees, the more productive they’re going to be. In working with your team to ensure they have working hours and locations that are also conducive to enjoying life outside of work, you can improve productivity.
Employees are Healthier
Some studies have shown that employees who can work from home are healthier. Perhaps it’s the reduced stress (commutes are stressful) or more time to do things like get to the gym.
But ultimately, if your employees can work from locations that work for them at times that suit, they can build healthier habits into their days.
Healthier employees are less likely to need time off sick and this is a clear benefit for you.
The Future is Flexible
The lockdowns of the Covid pandemic feel a long time ago. But it’s hard to imagine a future where we go back to working the way we did pre Covid. It very much looks as though the future if flexible and this could ultimately lead to big benefits for all parties.
