WHY EMPLOYERS SHOULD NOT IGNORE THE DEMAND FOR FLEXIBLE HOURS
In today’s working environment, flexibility means affording employees the opportunity to make their own choices as to when, where, and how they engage in work related projects and tasks. The term flexibility in the workplace is often thrown in along with independence, work-life balance, friendly culture, and casual environment especially among the Millenial generation.
However many corporations still wonder if the implementation of flexible work styles might intrude on the company’s high productivity and employee performance. There seems to be a contradictory element in this rather grey area which is why many employers are hesitant to change the work style in any way, to allow for a less strict or rigid working environment.
According to a study by Bentley University, 77% of Millennials say that flexible work hours would make the workplace more productive for people their age. Given their comfort with digital technology that allows them to work anytime and anywhere, this statistic hardly comes as a surprise. But as the Millennial generation becomes the majority, we can expect flex time and telecommuting to become a common workplace practice rather than a special privilege.
Emerging technologies have made flexible working arrangements more accessible and transparent, which people are aware of. Across the globe it is becoming apparent that flexible working hours are producing happier and more productive employees, the simple reason being that trust is given to them by their employers which in turn generates stronger end results. Asian employers today that are wanting to be included in today’s competitive edge in the talent pool should not ignore the rising trend of flexible working hours.
For an organisation to attract and retain a happy and productive workforce, employers need to think beyond the basic legal requirements around flexible working. This simply means having an open mind and an adaptable manner. In order to make flexible working a global success, the pre-existing culture, habits and mind-set of many organisations needs to be challenged. All of which takes time.
The truth is, when it’s formalized with a policy, tailored to an individual company and its employees, and managed correctly, flexibility helps everyone. It allows business to recruit and retain the best workers which inevitably leads to finding work- life balance, which increase overall life satisfaction. To summarize, it might be said that use of flexible working practices positively influence on work-life balance and overall life satisfaction of the employee.
