The workplace has changed dramatically for businesses of all sizes since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. Operations have shifted to include greater flexible working on all fronts— from full-time and hybrid remote work, to more widespread use of flextime, to how goods and services are actually delivered to customers.
For employers, offering flexible working options for how employees get the job done is now a necessity to compete in today’s tight labor market. This is especially true for small businesses, where the local talent pools can be limited. That, combined with the “great resignation,” is creating a skilled labor shortage that can have resounding effects.
Small-business owners who offer flexible work options—or flexwork—may find themselves a step ahead of the competition when it comes to hiring. So what does flexwork entail, and what are the benefits? To start, let’s look at the full spectrum of flexwork options.
What Is Flexwork?
While the concept of flexwork isn’t new, per se, over the few decades it has grown to include broader flexible working options. “Flexwork started out as a way to describe flexible hours, but then expanded to include flexible working arrangements within the office, such as people not having an assigned workstation and plugging in where space was available. Now, in the wake of COVID-19, people are including remote work under the flexwork moniker,” says Allan Halcrow, principal at leadership consulting firm The Working Edge.
Harvard University defines flexwork for its own employees as “flexible work arrangements that vary from the standard in-the-office, nine-to-five approach. They typically include flexibility of place and/or time.” In other words, flexwork includes options for when, where—and how—the work gets done.
Typical flexwork options offered by employers can include:
- Remote work: Work done from a location other than the office. For example, working from home (aka WFH).
- Compressed work: Shortened work weeks, where individuals are compressing work hours into fewer days. For example, an employee completes a 40-hour work week by working for 10 hours a day for four consecutive days, then has three days off.
- Flex-Time: Work hours that are altered to better suit an employee’s personal needs. An employee may start their workday at 7 a.m. and work until 3 p.m. in order to pick up their child from daycare. Or may take time out during the workday for a personal need as long as they complete the number of agreed-upon hours for the day or the week. Yet another option is for employees to get work done at any time that suits them, as long as the work is done in a timely manner.
- Job sharing: When a single full-time job is shared between two or more employees. This can offer the employees the scheduling flexibility of part-time work, and employers can have built-in coverage for when one of the employees is away from work.
Flexwork Increases Productivity
Flexwork allows people to structure their days so they can be more productive and derive greater satisfaction from their work. It allows them to design their own schedules and working environment, tailoring those conditions according to what they know about themselves to get their best work done.
According to a 2020 FlexJobs survey of more than 4,000 people who worked remotely during the pandemic, the following factors improved their productivity:
- Fewer interruptions (68%)
- More focused time (63%)
- Quiet work environment (68%)
- More comfortable workplace (66%)
- Avoiding office politics (55%)
Flexwork Enables Greater Work Satisfaction
Many of the FlexJobs survey respondents also indicate their personal lives have improved while working at home. This is likely due to a few factors, including a reduction in commuting time that can result in “found time.” Since 36% of respondents reported round trip commutes of two or more hours, this extra time in the day can add up quickly.
Another 73% said that they had a better work-life balance thanks to working at home. The additional balance gave them:
- More time with their family/children (46%)
- More time with their partner (42%)
- The ability to take care of their pet(s) (37%)
Flexwork Enhances Health and Wellness
“Flexwork helps employees stay healthier as they have the flexibility to pursue health and wellness,” says workplace consultant Halcrow. Flexible schedules and work locations allow easier and more frequent scheduling of doctor’s appointments, regular physical exercise, and mindfulness activities.
Having this work-life flexibility is most important to our health and well-being at a time when people are having to wear many hats at once, from dual-income couples to single-parent families and families with elderly adults requiring care. Flexwork can help reduce the stress of balancing these responsibilities with a traditional 9-to-5 job. Coupled with the time saved from slogging through traffic jams and long commutes, flexwork can help ratchet down everyday stress levels.
Flexwork Increases Cost Savings
According to a follow-up 2021 FlexJobs survey of more than 2,100 people who worked remotely during the pandemic, respondents ranked “cost savings” as the number two benefit of remote work (75%), bettered only by “not having a commute” at 84%.
Thirty-eight percent estimate they are saving at least $5,000 a year working remotely; roughly 20% estimate they save more than $10,000 a year. These cost savings are significant, and can add up quickly to positively impact the average employees’ financial bottom line.
Workers Around the World Expect Flexibility
Given the many benefits of flexwork, it’s not surprising employees prize it and many expect it as a norm. In a November 2021 The Future Forum Pulse survey of 10,737 knowledge workers across the U.S., Australia, France, Germany, Japan, and the UK, the vast majority of global knowledge workers now expect to have flexibility in where and when they work. Seventy-eight percent of all survey respondents say they want location flexibility, while 95% want schedule flexibility.
What’s more, according to a 2021 McKinsey & Company survey of 5,043 full-time employees that work in corporate or government settings, 52% of workers prefer that a more flexible working model becomes a permanent feature of their working lives. Surveyed employees are eager to see organizations put a greater emphasis on flexibility, competitive compensation, and well-being once the pandemic is over.
Flexwork can bring high rewards for small-business owners, as well. As the research shows, by developing flexible work arrangements, small businesses can attract more high-quality candidates, generate higher rates of satisfaction among existing employees, increase productivity and reduce absenteeism, among other benefits. If flexwork makes sense for your business needs, it can be a win-win for both you and your employees.
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