What Is Flexibility—and How Valuable Is It Really?
Jen Fisher
The Wellbeing Team | Chief Wellbeing Officer | Bestselling Author ?? | TEDx/Speaker ?? | The WorkWell Podcast? ?? | Wellbeing Intelligence | Human Sustainability ??
Flexibility - it’s a topic that has the potential to really level-up our well-being and, full disclosure, it’s a benefit that I utilize (and believe in) at Deloitte. But for many it is an un-used benefit, and, according to the findings of our recent external survey, about a third of the US professionals we surveyed don’t even have flexible work options at their company.
Overall, the survey findings are enlightening and highlight a path to improvement. Let’s dig in.
First, what exactly are “flexible work options”? Here are the leading examples:
- Flexible work hours
- Remote work, including working from home
- Extended leave
- A compressed work week
Flexibility affords employees some great benefits. The professionals we surveyed listed less stress and better mental health as the leading perks of work flexibility. Other touted benefits include increased job satisfaction, morale, productivity, and efficiency. And over half of respondents with flexible work options agreed that team dynamics wouldn’t be negatively impacted.
While practically everyone said they’d benefit from—and put great value on—flexible work options, only 1 out of 3 professionals said nothing would keep them from taking advantage of workplace flexibility. That’s right—only one-third!
Here’s the biggest issue with flexible work options—stigma. There is a perceived stigma around using flexible work options. In our survey, 30 percent of respondents said potential consequences to their professional growth and lack of trust from leadership would prevent them from using flexible work options. And that mindset seems to be quite ingrained in the majority because 80 percent of respondents said that a traditional work setting (think: normal business hours and regular attendance in the office) is key for advancing their career.
You’ve heard me speak about stigma before—it persists around mental health, especially in the workplace. There’s also some stigma around grief, opening up about experiencing grief, and accepting the fact that grief is a real thing that can impact your work.
Pull back and look at the big picture: there’s a common theme to these stigmatized topics. They all center around being more human at work.
Imagine a workplace where we harness what makes us unique and we walk the work-life integration walk… Not only could we make great strides in breaking down these stigmas, but we would also have a happier, healthier, and—I’d argue—more productive, efficient workforce.
So, what can you do? Start a conversation with your manager. Or if you lead humans, invest (and believe) in flexible work options and embed them into the culture. To truly break down the status quo of rigid workplace structures, leadership must get on the same page as their workforce. From the C-suite down, we need to empower people to use their flexible work options without fear of potential consequence.
#DeloitteFlex #empoweredwellbeing #workfromhome #remotework #flexibility #flexiblework #worklifeintegration
Business Psychologist | Founder | Executive Clarity Catalyst | The Force Behind The Force | Board Member | Budding Triathlete | Mom of Teenage Twins
5 年Jen Fisher: Data and smart insights always grab my attention. We know that committing to goals increases our success rate. As Deloitte is a leader in both performance and development, how about a pilot study that explores the intersection of flexibility and performance? The pilot would include built-in touch points with leaders and managers since their true commitment will empower others to actually leverage flexibility.?
Consulting | Strategy | ERP Cloud | Project Management | Program Delivery
5 年Great article which provokes a progressive thought process Jen. With the advent of newer and efficient technologies disrupting every aspect of human life why not utilise it to promote employee productivity and well being. Perhaps a more potent demand for flexible work options is being created in the fourth industrial revolution
Client Stories Leader at Deloitte, eternally on the hunt for great sentences
5 年"80 percent of respondents said that a traditional work setting (think: normal business hours and regular attendance in the office) is key for advancing their career." This is the crux for me--especially since I'd count myself among that 80%. And I think we are right. Hard to move past . . .
Access my "Soft Skills: Hard Results" Workshop for FREE | Founder of Unlocked Teams | 20 Years in Senior Leadership Roles | Leadership & Team Performance Coach | Data driven development for outcomes and ROI
5 年Jen. I’m a huge advocate of flexi working and have benefited from it for a huge chunk of my career due to having worked for very progressive employers. You name it I’ve done it. Part time working Unpaid leave Home working Remote working. Flexi hours. And have maintained a successful career. It’s possible. The proof is never in my experience whether you flexi work. It’s in the results you deliver. Happy to help if you ever need a case study or someone to share their story. Will send a connection request.
Executive & Leadership Development (team & individual coaching, training & mentoring) | Facilitator and Moderator | Speaker on Sustainability Leadership | UK Participant @ UN Women UK #CSW68 #CSW69
5 年100% agree. It's key to retention and teams feeling heard and valued (so it's great for the bottom line). I used this facility for 20+ years. It became a deal breaker for taking new posts. Always encouraged my teams to do same. It's how it should be. Kudos to Deloitte for taking this seriously.