We all have had our own experiences of rigid work schedules. The effects that they have on productivity and personal lives are substantial. Ask yourself - When was the last time you were suffering from an unproductive afternoon? Was it one of the days last week? It’s a big yes, right? Don’t freak out - you’re just normal like everyone else. The time has changed drastically and we are moving towards flexible work schedules.
Didn’t you wish to spend a couple of morning hours with your family on some days? Flexible working hours allow us to deal with our priorities without compromising work. Overall, the productivity in a flexible working schedule is far better than in a rigid schedule. Don’t believe us? Just stick around till the end.
When asked about their top cravings - employees mostly opt for the ability to work in a flexible work schedule among other major needs. Additionally, over 70% of experienced workers agree that flexible working hours would make a job more attractive to them.
Let’s move forward to discuss what is the science behind flexible work schedules and why it is the need of the hour.
What is a Flexible Work Schedule?
No doubt flexible work means different things for different people. It is evolving faster than ever, and so are employee expectations and demands!
So flexibility is the collective term used to define anything that breaks the laws of conventional 9-5. The core idea is to offer the much sought-after freedom to the workforce. There is still the necessity to work a certain number of hours. However, when you will be completing those hours - is your choice.
A flexible work schedule basically allows you to create your own work schedule and set up a work-life balance. As an amazing alternative to rigid working hours, a flexible work schedule is becoming more popular these days. Startups & small-scale businesses are majorly bringing this change.
Not only employees are enjoying it, but organizations are gaining from this work culture too!
Why Organizations Should Consider Adapting Flexible Work Schedule:
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Enhances productivity:
The Digital Worker Experience Survey 2021 by Gartner suggests that 43% of employees find flexibility in working hours helpful. Additionally, 30% of them also claimed that minimal or no commute time made them more productive. When employees achieve an ideal work-life balance, it automatically boosts their productivity.
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Effective Recruitment:
More than anything else, modern employees are looking for flexibility while opting for companies to work with. More than 84% of the workforce is looking to attain better work-life stability.
This trait clearly sums up the need to offer a flexible work schedule for enhancing recruitment. Once you establish a completely flexible work culture at your enterprise-
- Attracting the best talent becomes easier
- You can hire faster and escalate the growth
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Improves Employee Retention:
We talked about attracting the creamy layer of talented candidates out there. Employee retention is another major aspect that keeps startups growing in the long run. This solves the problem of avoiding the expense of fresh recruitment as well as helps in building a strong core for startups.
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Reduces Leaves:
Did you ever think about it deeply? An employee is more likely to take a leave when stuck in a rigid schedule than when in a flexible work schedule. It’s almost enlightening, right?
Studies show that if given an opportunity to make alternative work arrangements, unplanned leaves and tardiness is considerably cut off.
When working individuals have their independence, they tend to give their best and it does wonders!
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Boosts Employee Morale and Engagement:
Engaging with your workforce regularly and keeping their morale high is immensely underrated. Allowing them a flexible work schedule is the primary driver of employees’ work-life balance and their happiness. And who doesn’t know - productivity is directly triggered by happiness and satisfaction.
Benefits of Flexible Work Schedule
There are plenty of benefits related to a flexible working schedule. Some prominent ones are -
- Family Requirements - How many times do we miss out on family emergencies and celebrations due to hectic work schedules? One of the most favourable outcomes of flexible work schedules is family leisure. With a flexible schedule, you can do everything and yet not miss out on work and your productivity.
- Better Mental Health - A survey reported that 68 percent of rigid work schedules employees have critical work stress. While on the other hand, only 20 percent of employees with flexible work schedules felt the same. Clearly, mental health is directly related to the flexibility and independence offered at your workplace.
- Job Satisfaction - All the experienced peeps out there know the importance of job satisfaction. After a certain point in time, that aspect matters even more than your salary. Over 79% of contestants reported being satisfied with their job and having a flexible work schedule.
- Work when you feel most productive - Some individuals work amazingly well in the mornings, while some others are more productive late at night. No doubt it’s important to work in quick sprints without any distraction. Additionally, it is equally important to have periodic breaks. A flexible schedule just enables you to do that!
How Can a Virtual Office Help You?
Hybrid & Flexible work is the future we all can clearly see from here. The modern workforce has a variety of expectations and demands around an independent choice of work style. As we move forward to a completely flexible work schedule and model, it is important for organizations to stay in constant sync with employees and engage with them on relevant subjects.
If you’re thinking - How to be so flexible with work and yet achieve maximum productivity? We have the super-flexibility enabling solution that you need. A virtual workspace or a virtual office by Wurkr is just exactly what you need to ace your game. Wurkr provides interactive virtual workspaces that allow you to work with your choice, in your style. Our solution makes sure you grow as a startup with immersive virtual workspaces to enhance your productivity with flexible work schedules. Check out our startup program that can be something you had been looking for!
