By Leila Doran
Flexible work hours are becoming something of a trend in the contemporary labor market. The nature of work has changed towards being more on-demand and schedule-independent, which is prompting employers and employees alike to question whether 9 to 5 shifts are really necessary or desirable to get the job done. The increased prominence of work that can be done remotely, such as software engineering, is also a factor driving this change.
If flexible work hours are here to stay, it would be useful to know some of their practical advantages. In the rest of this article, we will give six examples of how flexible work hours can provide benefits both for employers, as well as to employees.
Building trust
Flexible work hours are a great way for building bonds of trust between employers and employees. Employees will take the offer of flexible work as a sign of trust from their employers, which will increase their sense of responsibility, thus making them work equally hard as they would on a regular schedule. Conversely, employees will trust employers that they have their best interests in mind, giving them valuable feedback that they are doing what’s right for the company.
Balancing work and life
The greatest benefit of flexible work hours for employees is the ability to more easily balance out work with their personal lives. Taking care of small children, commuting to work, meeting health-related appointments, etc. often doesn’t align with being at work at a set time each day. Flexible work hours address this issue by allowing employees to customize their work schedule a bit, making it easier for them to fulfill all their non-work obligations, while still doing the required amount of work. And besides, as long as the timesheet calculator produces the same results at the end of the day, what difference does it make if someone comes an hour later to work each day?
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Employees who come to work on their own terms will have much higher morale than those that feel like they are being forced to be there. Flexible work hours are therefore essential for giving employees a sense of agency, which helps maintain a positive attitude throughout the workday. The great thing about workplace morale is that it is infectious, so the positive vibrations are likely to spread from individuals who come to work each day with smiles on their faces.
Increasing productivity
The combination of flexible scheduling, bonds of trust and increased morale will make employees more productive. Employees who can keep themselves properly organized will know how to focus on work when its time to do so, ensuring that the job gets done in time. The knowledge that they are trusted with keeping their own schedule will make them more likely to trust company decisions in turn. Finally, inspired workers will go the extra mile to produce the best possible results, which will have a measurable impact on a company’s bottom line.
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From the perspective of the employer, offering flexible work hours is a sound business move. People are leading increasingly hectic lives with multiple demands on their tme. This is especially true for cream-of-the-crop employees who are constantly trying to improve themselves. Therefore, flexible work hours are a top priority for a lot of people when considering a job posting, and offering them as an employer ensures that you will have the best workforce available. Flexible work hours are also a significant retention factor, even more so than a high salary. Time is precious to the modern man, and flexible work hours are a way of providing it at no extra cost to the employer.
We have seen that flexible work hours offer a wide range of benefits to employers and employees alike. Contrary to traditional wisdom, giving workers a greater degree of self-determination will not only make them happier, but is positively correlated with business success. Sticking to 9-5 work schedules out of habit is no longer cutting it for the current state of the labor market, and the sooner companies realize this, the better they will be prepared for the future.
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Leila Dorari is an entrepreneur, freelance writer and business-improvement enthusiast from Sydney. Currently, she is consulting companies on various effects different marketing solutions can have on their business. In her spare time you can usually find her window shopping.
