Are you struggling with employee turnover and high hiring costs? Do you want to boost your workers’ productivity? Want to provide more work-life balance for your employees? Consider making your business a flexible workplace.

“People will not return to work as they have in a pre-pandemic world. Flexibility is the new norm and expectation from employees. This trend will continue for many years ahead.

“There is plenty of debate about remote work, and I recently had a chance to experience it myself. I think remote work can be an effective employment tool. Still, in my opinion, the most effective version of this type of work is the hybrid approach since the need for all employees to have some level of personal interaction with co-workers and supervision does make a difference on several levels within the company and with clients!” — Timothy Dimoff

Types of Flexible Work Arrangements

When thinking about flexible work, it is essential to know that there are all types in various forms. Below is a list of the most common offerings:

Part-Time Employment
Seasonal Employment (I.e., typically full-time work for 3-4 months)
Job-Sharing (i.e., two part-time employees working the same job dividing hours and tasks)
Phased-In or Out Work Hours (i.e., gradually return to work after an FMLA or gradually decrease of work leading up to retirement)
Flexible Scheduling — employees are present during core work times, but when they arrive and leave the office varies. In the Gartner 2021 Digital Worker Experience Survey, 43% of respondents said that flexible working hours helped them achieve more productivity
Compressed Workweeks (i.e., longer hours per day with fewer workdays)
Remote Work (where the employee only comes to the office for important meetings)
Hybrid Employment – According to McKinsey & Company, 87% of workers offered at least some remote work embrace the opportunity and spend an average of three days a week working from home.

What works best for an organization or the individual worker varies. It’s important to know what the workforce’s makeup looks like – especially in today’s quiet quitting and talent shortage challenges. Many employers offer more than one of the options described above.

Advantages for Employees

Today there is an undeniable need for a flexible work environment. Below is a list of advantages any employee can gain from a flexible workplace:

Ability to meet family needs and personal obligations (i.e., attending a child’s sporting event, taking a family member to a doctor’s appointment, being able to be home for an appliance repair person)
Cutting down commuting costs
Increased feeling of control over day-to-day schedule and workload
Ability to function at their highest level (i.e., if the employee isn’t an early bird, flexible work hours allow them to come in later and stay later).
Option to decrease or eliminate child’s day-care costs

When employees are happy, production and creativity go up.

Advantages for Employers

It’s nice to provide for the worker and ensure everyone is as happy and productive as possible. But what is really in it for the employer?

Higher employee retention. A Flexjobs survey found that 80% of respondents said they’d be more loyal to their employer if they provided flexible working arrangements,
High worker morale
Reduced absenteeism
Increased productivity
Maximized work hours
Potential to extend hours of operation

Don’t forget that a happy employee makes for a content organization. When the workforce has a work-life balance, the organization cannot help but thrive.