Work flexibility: Unconventional arrangements are here to stay

Finding the sweet spot: One employee’s experience with flexible work

Like many people, Molly initially felt unsure about remote work during the pandemic. She worried about lonely days without fellow team members and feared being stuck without assistance if a problem arose.

As time passed, however, Molly started noticing the positives of telecommuting. A lifelong night owl, she loved staying up late to watch old movies without needing to get up early the following day to make the dreaded hour-long commute to the office.

She also discovered that walking her poodle at lunchtime improved her mood and energy level for the rest of the workday. Interacting with others professionally and socially via Slack took away her worries about isolation.

When Molly’s company started bringing workers back on-site, she felt conflicted. While she missed lunches with her office friends and face-to-face exchanges of ideas, she had grown used to her home office and had a better work-life balance.

Many co-workers felt the same way. Thus, they were delighted that their employer considered their preferences and presented a variety of flexible work arrangements. Molly decided on a hybrid work schedule – contributing from home three days a week and coming into the workplace twice.

The demand for a flexible workplace

The relationship between workers and their jobs has changed considerably over the past two years. The pandemic provided plenty of time to re-evaluate priorities and lifestyles.

As a result, employees today place a more significant premium on personal needs, mental health, and overall well-being. They do not wish to suffer from burnout or return to work schedules that leave them with little time for an outside life.

As a result, job seekers are being pickier than ever. According to LinkedIn Global Talent Trends 2022, job hunters viewed nearly twice as many job posts before applying in 2021 than they did in 2019.

Also, ads touting remote or hybrid work attract seven times more applicants than in-person roles.

Smart employers are taking notice. The LinkedIn Global Talent Trends report notes an 83% increase in job posts mentioning flexibility since 2019 and a whopping 147% increase in posts mentioning well-being.

Employers realize the role workplace flexibility plays in modern employees’ job satisfaction. Organizations need every advantage to attract job seekers.

This is due to ongoing labor shortages and The Great Resignation. Furthermore, flexible work policies are a big draw for keeping current staff.

A recent LinkedIn survey of more than 500 C-level executives in the United States and the United Kingdom found that 81% said they are changing their workplace policies to offer greater work flexibility.

Many companies use their web pages and social media accounts to promote flexible arrangements. They can share stories of employees, such as how they solved childcare issues.

Specifically, they could show how alternate work schedules helped. Additionally, companies could share stories of remote and on-site workers enjoying a Zoom trivia competition together.

As a result, these stories help visualize a flexible mindset. It also demonstrates that the company values all its different types of workers.

Understanding flexible work options

While employers and employees alike remain eager to adopt the “work flexibility” mantra, realize that this buzzword covers various possible arrangements in practice.

Implementation depends significantly on the individual organization. Some industries do not easily accommodate specific set-ups.

Take healthcare, for instance. Despite the increased popularity of virtual visits, actions such as administering shots, setting a cast, or performing surgery require in-person interaction.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) notes that flexible work arrangements include a variety of different alternative work schedules and programs to promote work-life balance.

Their common denominator is that some aspect of when and/or where work gets done goes beyond traditional core business hours (such as 9 to 5 daily) or central place of operations.

Some common types of flexible work options include:

• Remote work

A default way to continue business operations during the pandemic, telecommuting has become many people’s favored method of working. Depending on the exact set-up worked out with the employer, remote work allows employees to perform all or some of their jobs from their home (or other off-site locations of their choice).

Telecommuters often claim remote work increases their productivity and focus, allows better blending of personal and professional obligations, and boosts energy levels by eliminating a commute.

• Hybrid work

This arrangement allows employees to split time between on-site and remote work. Policies differ in terms of how many days of each are required. Some organizations like to gather all team members together on set days for brainstorming, bonding, and other group activities.

Other businesses let employees choose the days they wish to come in, including how many of them. Like Molly in the opening example, employees sometimes consider hybrid work the best of both worlds. They benefit from in-person collaboration and socialization but also enjoy the advantages of frequently telecommuting.

• Flexible schedule

Whether on-site or off, workers often view the ability to adjust their hours as a key component of maintaining a good work-life balance. A flextime policy could allow someone to regularly stagger her arrival and departure times to accommodate better childcare needs or take a college class.

Another flexible option might forgo formal scheduling and allow workers to spread their set number of hours throughout the day (or even night) as they see fit.

This freedom can accommodate everything from running errands at off times to attending doctor’s appointments to simply taking a nap.

The extent of flexibility depends on the individual employer, the industry, and the nature of the job. For instance, positions demanding coverage (such as food servers or retail clerks) may be candidates for shift adjustments but not for dispersal work hours throughout the day.

• Compressed workweek

Traditionally, a full-time job involves working 32-40 hours per week spread out over five days. Other configurations exist, however, that yield the same sum.

The arrangement getting the most attention is the four-day workweek. Employees receive an extra day off each week by working eight to ten hours over four days.

This offers more free time and eliminates the time and expense of one roundtrip commute. From an employer’s perspective, one fewer operating day reduces overhead.

• Reduced schedule

Not every person wants to work full-time. A senior citizen, for instance, may like the income and socialization provided by a job but wish to slow down. Part-time work combines employment with more time off to spend on other activities. Organizations that offer benefits to part-time employees are desirable.

• Job sharing

Job sharing is a special type of part-time work. It involves two or more people sharing the duties of one full-time position. All parties must possess excellent communication skills to keep each other updated on the status of every task.

While job-sharing work is generally split 50/50, employees can divide responsibilities based on their skill sets and interests.

• Unlimited PTO

Companies that offer unlimited PTO do not offer their employees a certain number of days off. Instead, workers in good standing can take as many or as few vacation days as they desire, provided certain other factors get met (such as ensuring adequate coverage during the absence).

The arrangement provides great flexibility, whether you want to travel for a long time or could benefit from some mental health days at home.

How work flexibility benefits employers

Looking at the various types of work flexibility, it is not difficult to see why employees would find them attractive. But what about employers? They are, after all, trying to operate a successful business.

Organizations utilizing remote work and other flexible arrangements often require less office space and can reduce overhead expenses. They also build their brand’s environmental friendliness. Fewer workers needing to commute cuts down on emissions, which improves air quality and slows global warming.

Some companies find that flextime helps them in terms of coverage. Employees who start or end their workday outside of traditional hours can mean staff members are available to accommodate clients at “off” times.

A main advantage of work flexibility is that it aids in hiring and retention efforts. Anything that can help fill open spots during the ongoing labor shortage and limit employee turnover during The Great Resignation is an avenue worth exploring.

Lastly, employers cannot ignore the effect of flexibility on employee satisfaction through better work-life balance. The LinkedIn Global Talent Trends 2022 report shows some interesting findings.

Firstly, employees satisfied with their company’s time and location flexibility are 2.6 times more likely to report happiness. Secondly, these same employees are 2.1 times more likely to recommend working for the company.

These positive feelings translate into greater loyalty, higher morale, employee engagement, and boosted productivity. The bottom line: Everyone stands to gain inside and outside the work environment.

More resources:
Flexible working hours: Do they work?
The 5 emotional intelligence competencies you need to have
Flexible work arrangements: 4 types to improve employee productivity