Flexibility & The Future of Work

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Professionals today are showing a clear preference for employers that place their employees’ needs front and centre in all that they do. Flexible working is a great example of how organisations can put human-centric values into action. As we move towards the Future of Work, it is becoming clear that the companies that will succeed are those who put people at the very heart of their organisation through the implementation of policies such as flexible working.

Key Stats About Flexible Working In 2022?

• 58%?of leaders are optimistic that flexibility will be good for both people and business. (Source:?LinkedIn )
• ?71%?of leaders have felt under pressure to change working models and adapt workplace policies to allow for greater flexibility. (Source:?LinkedIn )
• ?Given the choice,?54%?of employee respondents would choose flexibility in?when?they work. By comparison,?40%?want flexibility in?where?they work. (Source:?EY )
• 56% of Irish working adults say they would only apply for flexible jobs or roles that would allow them to work from home. (Source: Indeed )
• 81%?of employees would be more loyal to their employers if they had flexible work options. (Source: FlexJobs)
• 77% of people said that flexible work options would help them be healthier. (Source: Mental Health America )

How Covid-19 Broke The Flexibility Stigma

In March 2020, workplaces around the world closed their doors in compliance with government-mandated social distancing restrictions. During this time, non-essential workers worked remotely from home. With telecommuting, employees had greater control over when, where and how they worked.?For the majority of workers, this paradigm shift offered their first taste of flexibility. And for most, there was no going back….??

The mass shift towards flexible working models during the pandemic was key in breaking the flexibility stigma. The “bums on seat” mentality (i.e. the belief that workers need to be seen to be working in order to be productive) was proven to be false as many companies saw a rise in productivity upon introducing flexible models.

3 Top Benefits of Flexible Working?for Employees & Employers

1. Improved Work-Life Balance

Employees who are satisfied with the level of flexibility offered by their employer are?3.4 times?more likely to successfully balance work and personal obligations (Source:?LinkedIn ). Location flexibility allows employees to avoid time-consuming commutes, whereas schedule flexibility enables employees to shape their working hours around their lives. Workers can reinvest their time savings into things that are important to them e.g. caregiving duties, exercise, hobbies, volunteering, further education etc.?

3. Attract Top Talent

Many job candidates are now putting schedule flexibility at the top of their criteria when choosing an employer. In fact,?76%?of millennial employees said they would even be willing to take a pay cut for flexible working hours (Source:?Qualtrics and Accel Partners ). Following on from the pandemic, we are now seeing a flood of top-quality candidates entering the job market as they seek out roles offering more flexibility.

3. Promotes Greater Diversity & Inclusivity

Flexible working models allow for greater diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The ability to work flexibly is critical for many groups of people, including working parents, single parents, and people with physical disabilities or mental health issues (just to name a few). Greater flexibility overall widens the talent pool to a whole raft of talented people who want to work.

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