Regardless of Economic Uncertainty and Layoffs, Employees See a Flexible Future

Dear Friends,

I've shared key findings from our new "Now and Next of Work" research for the past few weeks.?The goal is to give leaders?insight into the experience and beliefs that full-time U.S. workers bring to the ongoing debate about where, when, and how work will be?done best today and going forward.?

With the information, leaders can?adapt their approach and come to?a shared understanding of what their organization's flexible work model will?look like (a.k.a return-to-office).?

Some leaders, however, continue to?hold out hope that economic uncertainty will revert “power” back to employers and make it easier to dictate the terms of work top-down.

Our research shows the opposite is true.?

Most flexible workers report they’re more likely to pursue flexibility in where, when and how they work (44%) or plan no changes (39%), despite the current economic environment and layoffs in certain sectors. They also believe their employers will continue to offer the same amount (42%) or even more flexibility (39%). ??

COVID showed workers they could work in a way they can't unsee. Was it optimal? Probably not, because it was crisis-driven. Could it be improved? Absolutely.?

But employees know and have shown they can work flexibly and don’t plan to give that up. Regardless of the prevailing economic environment, ?exibility is an expectation and the norm. An economic downturn is unlikely to change employees' core beliefs and con?dence working flexibly across places, spaces, and time.

Leaders who either secretly or publicly believe that economic uncertainty will drive employees back to the office and an outdated work style are in for disappointment. They may "comply" in the short term, but is compliance, or butts-in-seats, really?the goal??

Given that every demographic prioritizes work ?exibility when making employment decisions, leaders who choose not to align with employees to reimagine work will simply delay the inevitable and leave their businesses further behind. Left unresolved, the widening gap between employees and leaders negatively impacts everything from engagement and retention to innovation and profitability.

Savvy organizations understand flexible work is both an operations and economic recovery strategy to manage costs, maintain performance and retain a loyal workforce engaged and ready to seize opportunities as the economy improves.

From artificial intelligence to automation, 2024 brings us a historic moment to transform how, when and where we best work so we can focus on the business and career opportunities that matter most and deliver the highest value.

The sooner organizations understand that flexibility is the way everyone works, the sooner we can all succeed together.

Learn more in “The Now and Next of Work: A 2023 Flex+Strategy Group Research Report , Unifying Leaders and Employees on the Future of High Performance Flexibility.”

Until next time, keep reimagining work and life,

Cali

Cali Williams Yost, Founder & CEO of the?Flex+Strategy Group , is one of the world's most trusted authorities on how work flexibility can unlock high performance, engagement, and well-being. For over 20 years, she has helped organizations from banks to hospitals to universities reimagine how, when, and where they operate. She is the author of?two books ?on the subject, and her media credits include the Today Show, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Marketplace, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, and Harvard Business Review.

Follow her on?LinkedIn and?Instagram .