Flexible working is an increasingly popular option for many employees, with CIPD research (alongside other studies) demonstrating its numerous benefits. If you’ve ever worked from home, you’ll know what we’re talking about; extra time to sleep in, no commute, and fewer disruptions mean flexible workers often avoid many of the stresses that come with a typical 9-5 lifestyle.
Experiencing the freedom and autonomy that comes with a flexible working arrangement can significantly impact an employee’s work-life balance, too. For example, having the option to head to the gym in the morning, handle household tasks during lunch, or make childcare arrangements to suit their family’s needs can make a huge difference.
A recent study from Total Jobsfound that 68% of employers offer flexible working to employees, with 1 in 5workers saying they feel more productive while working from home. The study also found that flexible working is more sought after than other ‘benefits,’ including travel allowances and learning and development schemes – with 22%putting this down to having fewer distractions, and 21%saying they feel more productive when working remotely. It’s such a desirable option that 28%of employees said they would change jobs if they found a role that offered this.
Flexible working: The importance of trust
Despite its increasing popularity, it seems that employees aren’t always trusted by employers (or colleagues) when working from home. 16% of the research participants who have the option to work flexibly don’t trust that their home-working colleagues are ‘working hard enough.’ Further to this, 15%of employers that offer flexible working said they use software to track the time employees are spending at their laptops while working from home.
It’s fair to assume that if remote-working employees feel their every move is being watched – and that their colleagues think they’re slacking off – they’re much less likely to feel motivated, happy and engaged. As one of the five enablers, integrity is key in improving and developing employee engagement. This means that employees trust that their organisation will do as it says, and lives the values it promotes (there’s no say-do gap). This is a two-way street; for flexible working (and employee engagement) to work, employers must trust that their employees will do what they say.
If an organisation offers the option for employees to work flexibly, but still feels the need to ‘track’ them, can it reallybe called flexible working? After all, a remote working arrangement is about so much more than a lie-in or working in your pyjamas. Many employeesfeel they have more control and autonomy when working from home, and are more productive because they can alter their routine to suit different tasks. If people are micromanaged while working remotely, employees (and employers) won’t experience some of the true benefits of this arrangement.
Total Jobsfound that 24%of employers who offer flexible working do so because it aids employee retention – and 38%offer this option to support employees’ work-life balance. Additionally, the CIPDstates that flexible working options can attract new talent, improve employee engagement and advocacy, and reduce stress or pressure. The benefits are numerous, and mutual; a flexible working arrangement can work for employees andemployers, if it starts with trust.
Are you a flexible-worker, or would you like to be? Do you feel trusted by your employer when you’re working remotely? We’d love to hear your thoughts – get in touch via Twitter, or in the comments section below.
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