by: Zoe Zorka
While many employees will value a steady job, this doesn’t mean that working flexibly wouldn’t work for them. Working flexibly can be beneficial both for the employee and for the employer, for numerous reasons. In fact, many employees are actually looking for careers that allow them to work flexibly now, and some may attempt to negotiate terms that agree to them working flexible hours. If you want to attract and keep top talent, then you need to get on board with this new way of working.
Flexible Employees Are More Valuable
Flexible employees are far more valuable than those who are inflexible with their work. These employees are often willing to step outside of their job description, and this means that you can get more accomplished. An employee that is able to be flexible will be loyal to the company, and actually enjoy coming in to work. It’s a no brainer for many businesses.
Allowing Flexibility
Allowing flexibility can look different depending on the employee and your organization. For example, you may get an employee to start earlier and finish earlier, or start later and finish later. Perhaps they could spend a few days working from home, which in turn will reduce your overhead costs.
Job sharing is also an option; a full-time job can be split between two employees who agree the hours between them. Then, there’s compressed hours, where employees cover their normal working hours in just a few days. Flexi time allows employees to work in any way they choose outside a set of core hours that the employer determines.
Lower Overheads, Higher Outputs
You are going to benefit along with your team when you introduce more flexible hours. Your overheads will likely reduce, and you may be able to reduce office space, as well as cut carbon footprints. Many employers worry that flexible workers are less engaged and less productive, but productivity has been shown to go up when people can work flexibly.
Designing The Job Carefully
You can’t always give somebody a laptop and expect them to get everything done from home, or simply cut a day from their working week and expect the same results. You need to make sure the job is designed to suit both you and your employee. While you can invest in the cloud and high quality laptops for your team, you do need to go the extra mile when designing their roles - you can learn more about cloud services to help you get started.
What If Staff Take Advantage?
Some members of staff may take advantage and go out when they should be working. Obviously, flexible roles aren't appropriate for shop assistants or customer facing roles. Flexible working can impact an employee's home-life routine, blurring the lines between work and personal. Encouraging your employees to prioritise workloads and set boundaries should help.
By offering flexibility within your business from the off, you're more likely to attract a more diverse talent pool, improve your overall productivity and have a team full of happy, engaged staff members.
