Workplace Flexibility - Critical Strategy for Corporate Success in Modern Era

WFH...Guess Covid has made most of us familiar with this concept of “Work from Home”. But what if we remove “Home” from WFH and just look at “WF”! How many of you were able to identify this term?

Umm…very few right! As this may not be on everyone’s radar. Let me introduce this right here…“Workplace Flexibility”. Too hard to understand for corporate employees. Me being part of the corporate world would like to give a gist of my routine. So here it goes…

Alarm rings. Wake up. Get ready for the office. Commute to work by vehicle of your choice: Bus, Train, Car, Auto or even on your own two legs (that’s how I commute daily. Advantages of staying near to your office). Arrive at work. Check emails. Grab a cup of coffee. Attend meetings. Have small talk with your colleagues. And Just like that its already 12. Work. You keep on checking your watch for 1 PM (hunger pranks) – Ah! Finally, its Lunchtime. Back to your desk. Work. Oh, is that the time? 5’o clock – Time for a quick walk & some fresh air. Come back. Finish off the pending tasks. It’s 6:30 PM – Time to go back home! And as the evening unfolds, household chores seamlessly blend into the backdrop of the day. Eat. Sleep. Repeat for other four days.

So, we got so used to this concept of classic fixed schedule, the 9 to 5 Monday to Friday hustle, it feels as if it was the only thing we have ever known. No doubt, this provides businesses the clarity of tasks, tracks the progress as there’s continuity of tasks from one day to another and moreover, provides set weekends for vacuuming & laundry!

But the question to ponder is “Are employees happy with this routine?” Certainly, most of us won’t be. So, should companies adopt a strategy that prioritizes work-life balance for their employees by placing substantial trust in their teams? So, this is where concept of “Workplace Flexibility” comes into play.

This will allow employees to put emphasis on the importance of completing tasks from anywhere (need not to from office or home, may from your vacay location as well) rather than completing a set of working hours during a particular day. Hence shifting companies’ focus from schedule compliance to job performance. Allowing employees to create their own flexible schedules and work during flex hours—starting and ending their workday at times that suit them, as long as deadlines are met, and quality is maintained—would be a tremendous relief for corporate employees as well as working moms like me. This flexibility would make it easier to manage daily chores and responsibilities, enabling us to balance personal time with our kids / family while still advancing in our careers.

Workplace flexibility would provide healthy work – life balance which helps employees to divide time & energy fairly between job, family, and hobbies as well. The core idea behind this is to provide employees with the freedom to balance their professional responsibilities with their personal lives in a way that works best for them.

It’s just not a trend in today’s world, rather it’s the shift necessary towards a more humane & effective way of working which would foster positive & productive work environment, ultimately leading to “A Happy Employee”. After all, A Happy Employee is the most Productive Employee.