Flexible working debate has recently become a hot topic in the offices around the world due to the rise of the technology-led “work from anywhere” new attitude to work. Flexible working or “smart working”- as some prefer to refer to it, poses a series of questions challenging what we already know about work; is the old “9 to 5 “model not working? Is productivity the best at the office? Does more flexibility make employee happier and if so does it boost their productivity and creativity?
Your Better Business has gathered some food for thought from the Report on the Shift in Employee expectations from January 2012, exploring how employer and employee look at this debate.
Let’s be honest; who wouldn’t want to work from home while sitting in a pyjamas and listening to his favourite music? As much as this vision might be pleasant for the majority of employees, the same vision might cause distress for over the half of working force (54%) who fear that the productivity would decline.
Similarly, almost 40% of employers surveyed fear that the boundary between work and home would be blurring. Employers also don’t believe that the team work would benefit from flexible working. Taking into account that team work appears to be one of the most important elements of every company or business strategy, it is understandable that 50% of employers are scared it could suffer due to the various flexible working hours each of their employees put into work.
On one hand there are fearful and sceptical employers, although there is a very strong response from employees who believe that agile working in fact could be beneficial. Against employer’s fear of decreasing productivity, over 54% of employees believe flexible hours could make them more productive. Other benefits highlighted by employees are an increased balance between life and work (72%) and satisfaction from their job (75%).
Last but not least there are also other expectations that come with the potential introduction of flexible working model. The employers see the benefits for the employees but they also demand more. Over 70% of employers expect the rise in the satisfaction of their employees, which is very similar to what employees thought. However at the same time 57% of employers anticipate a more productive organisation from their employees. On the top of that 54% of them also expect lowering the costs due to the reduced work space. Which is one of the most popular arguments behind the idea that has already proven successful in some of the companies.
In conclusion, it seems like flexible working could be beneficial in terms of productivity, balance between live and work as well as employee satisfaction and cutting costs which seems like a win-win situation for both employers and employees.
Check out “The 5 steps to flexible working” infographic, which presents all the information in an easy and bearable way – stats made friendly!
