The Companies That Won’t Give in to Flexibility
More and more employees want autonomy at work – and it’s become a major factor in whether they stay or go. Why are some companies digging in their heels against it? Plus, how a simple trait could benefit your learning, creativity and even job enjoyment.
Why some employers are standing firm against flexibility
Employee flexibility has been one of the biggest shake-ups in the changed world of work. In many cases, knowledge workers are now better able to fit their job demands around their personal lives – something they’ve relished, and are reluctant to surrender as employers call workers back into offices.
Workers also increasingly expect this autonomy to continue. According to a July 2022 study of 13,382 global workers by consulting firm McKinsey & Company, 40% said workplace flexibility was a top motivator in whether they stayed in a role, barely behind salary (41%).
Yet, amid these shifting expectations, there are many companies still hesitant – or unable – to accommodate these requests. In some cases, executives have demanded their employees come back to the workplace full-time, in a return to pre-pandemic ways of working. In many cases, there are reasons why this flexibility is off the table – but the question is whether the tides will turn.
Read more from Alex Christian on the companies resisting flexible work.
Curiosity: The neglected trait that drives success
Curiosity may seem like a simple trait – one that serves a pleasurable purpose, rather than a practical one. But a wealth of scientific data demonstrates that allowing your curiosity to be piqued can be incredibly good for your mind.
Research shows that not knowing the answer to an intriguing puzzle can, for example, increase your creativity on subsequent tasks as well as prime your brain for learning. Curiosity in the workplace, meanwhile, increases engagement and enjoyment of your job, and reduces your risk of burnout.
It is little wonder, then, that scientists have now been looking for ways to cultivate more curiosity in our lives – and even simple interventions could reap enormous benefits.
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Read more from David Robson on the link between curiosity and success.
The remote workers swapping homes
Evie Kalo is what you might call a serial home-swapper. She and her husband are among the millions of global workers who became fully remote during the pandemic. Ever since, they’ve exchanged their two-floor apartment in an Amsterdam canal house for a series of “workcations” at homes across Europe, including in nearby Rotterdam, on the beach in Barcelona and in the tony French Riviera resort town of Juan-les-Pins.
In the pandemic era, a new group of ‘mobility rockstars’ has emerged: workers who are able to take their jobs on the road, and get a taste of life abroad.
Read more from Mark Johanson on how remote work has spurred home swapping.
More around the BBC:
?Thanks for reading. We’ll return next week. In the interim, we’ll be at BBC Worklife ?and?BBC Business every day.
–Meredith Turits, Editor, BBC Worklife?
Images: Getty Images, Courtesy of Evie Kalo
Freelance writer
2 年I am stunned that the article focusses on finance companies whereas hospitals, schools, trains, buses , restaurants and places that have really been overworked during covid and where job losses were highest during corona are unmentioned especially since they were emotionally and mentally and financially unappreciated during the period, and given the economic situation at the moment are facing serious difficulties yet they are completely uncovered by the article. Imean health workers died during corona because not only they were exposed to the disease but literally because they were overworked. Teachers have to learn to stand on their head to create a love of learning for primary students snd other ldvels anf yet they are completely unmentioned.
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