Do you offer flexible working hours in your business?
The demand for flexible working hours is on the rise. With big commutes, families to look after and other commitments to contend with, many people are choosing to work part time so that they can still retain flexibility in their lives.
The typical 9am to 5pm work hours are no longer practical for some people, so they are seeking flexibility. By not offering it, you could be missing out on some of the most suitable candidates for the job. You could also be creating a working environment that is less than ideal.
Did you know that something as simple as being flexible on an employee’s hours of work could actually make your entire business more productive? Firstly let’s look at why employees are seeking flexibility, then let’s see how that can be beneficial for your business.
Why Flexibility?
More and more workers are seeking flexibility from their jobs. There will always be the traditional reasons of family commitments and avoiding peak hour traffic. Then you have the people who are looking to get ahead or change career direction by studying on the side. But lately other reasons have begun to creep into the mix.
One of those main reasons is that people are keen to follow their passions. Spending 8 or 9 hours every day doing a job that you hate is not ideal. So people want to work on their passions on the side. This might be for interest’s sake, to top up their part time income, or with a view to transforming it into a full time career.
Strict working hours don’t allow employees any freedom to pursue their passion, or to work around their family. So strict working hours can be very bad for business. If people are not happy, they are not productive.
How Flexibility Can Mean Productivity…
Cost Saving
Being flexible can actually save you money. With less bums on seats in the office, that is less power being used, less coffee and milk being drunk, even less toilet paper being used!
While it may only be a few dollars saved each time, that begins to add up over a year. Imagine how much money you could save if you closed the office for one day a week and everyone worked from home – no power cost, no water costs, not even the cost of hand soap for the day!
It isn’t just the business that will save money, your employees can save money on gas, buying lunch and public transport. Letting them work from home at times and saving them a few dollars will make them happier and more productive.
Increased Morale
Give your team the chance to get away from the office and fill their cup with other activities like spending time with family and catching up on sleep. They will return to work feeling happy, refreshed, and ready to work.
More Staff Availability
Offering flexible hours will mean that you can attract all of the people in the talent pool. That could mean a wider range of applicants, or more suitable ones.
Productivity Supreme
When employees are forced to come into work at a set time, work for a set number of hours and leave at a set time, they will spend a lot of that set time watching the clock tick down. But if they only have to be at work until their tasks are completed, the focus will be on the work not on the clock.
When the focus is on the work, then the employee can concentrate on producing quality and getting the job done. This can reduce stress levels in the workplace, and we know how stress can absolutely demolish productivity.
Flexible working hours does not have to mean slacking off. By setting careful parameters and expectations, it will show your workers that results are the goal. This will allow your individual team members to work in the way that allows them to achieve those results.