One of the foremost wanted employee benefits today is flexible work schedules and the environment. Aside from compensation, a flexible work setup is among the top thing a candidate would look, while searching for a job in today’s market, and this comes as no surprise. Technological advances have long been paving the way and it is a boon to an employee to achieve everything at a remote with cloud-based tools, real-time collaboration platforms, team messaging applications, and advanced video conferencing.
COVID-19 has brought restoration focus in flexible working as we all struggle to adapt to the present situation. However, the COVID-19 crisis isn’t the first or last major obstruction we are likely to face within the future and businesses should try to adapt.
While the advantages of the individual are strongly noticeable, the impacts on the employers aren’t always so clear. Vital brush back arguments often inculpate remote working allocation to cause authentic results, inconsistency from an immoderate amount of rescheduling, slower outputs, stifled teamwork thanks to less physical presence, and sacrifices to company culture. However, many companies that embrace flexible working environments especially software companies, in particular, are finding that the positives way outweigh the negatives.
Here is what many organizations are arguing that they are gaining from it:
Increased employee retention
Arguably the most important driver for companies to provide flexible working options is that the impact on employee retention rates. A report from the New York Times published that “flexible scheduling and work-from-home opportunities play a significant role in an employee’s decision to accept the offer or not, and Thrive Global quotes, according to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management, “89 percent of companies report better retention just by offering flexible work options.” Particularly in an industry like software development where experienced developers are a very important part, flexibility has become an essential part of the employment offer.
Increased productivity
Providing employees the liberty to form their hours has led to a rise in productivity for several companies. When it happens to agile development, it’s not a prerequisite for everybody to be performing on the same thing at the same time. Employees can figure out when to work based on what most accurately fits them – some people are morning people while others are night owls. Some companies have expressed that employees who be flexible to regulate their schedules produce higher quality work more regularly.
More engaged team members
If staffs are happier in their work environment, then they seem to be more engaged. Sara Sutton Fell, founding father of Flex jobs, said, “Employees who feel entitled to design their work and personal lives according to their needs are more satisfied. When asked whether they’d rather have a flexible work environment or a pay raise, employees overwhelming to opt for flexible work”(source).
Access to a wider pool of talent during a broader geographic area
Companies that support the offering of flexible work and utilize the tools to their advantage have fewer reasons to control their recruiting geographically. This will provide enormous benefits on the whole because it opens the door to more talented individuals and may become a robust culture that draws other great people. Provided flexibility, it also grants companies the chance to work with talented individuals who can’t support traditional 9-5 roles due to disabilities, family responsibilities, or alternative reasons.
Making remote work, work
Considering everything, it’s a key that flexible working isn’t only offered as an employment perk but that it also works well for both parties. Being an individual you should realize and go the extra mile to fulfill the responsibility and add value, and therefore the company will revise its processes to handle a more dynamic environment. Everyone should have an understanding of what kind of jobs or tasks should make as a remote work a better option, and therefore the company must take the required measures to make sure that communication, company culture, and responsibilities are upheld. Going forward, all signs purpose to flexibility changing into a fair larger mainstay within the workplace.
There was an increase in the trend towards remote working even before COVID-19, created inevitable state of reality. For organizations that had been contemplating remote work activities, this present crisis can serve as a crucial testing land. There might be doing cut and try as leaders struggle to establish new relationships with their workers through virtual or remote applications. However, if they keep an open mind, and communicate effectively, it might be the dawn of a brave new age.