The traditional working schedule was some sort of militaristic operation, where employees clocked in at 8 am and clocked out at 5 pm. This has always been the case, despite research showing that having a robust work-life balance leads to improved productivity. On the other hand, studies have shown that the traditional working schedule is below optimal and does not result in the desired level of productivity.
As people become more keen on their personal lives and as technology enhances how people work, more and more employees are appreciating flexi-time. Employees are now more interested in productivity and return on time invested as opposed to simply clocking the required number of hours per day or week.
In the modern working environment, where employees do not necessarily have to be at work to work, having some flexi-time arrangement has immense benefits for the organisation in the long run. Numerous studies have been conducted on this and the general consensus is that it has significant benefits which any employer would be glad to have. But, just what are some of these benefits?
1. Improved Employee Retention Rates
One of the key challenges employers are facing, especially with the entry of millennials to the workplace is employee retention. Gone are the times when people used to stick to one job for prolonged periods or their entire working lives. The modern employee has no qualms changing jobs severally, with the average employee only staying in one job for around 4.6 years. This number is about to go even lower, with the current generation and future generations indicating that they look at more than just a paycheque in the jobs they hold.
What this translates into is higher operating costs for employers, who have to keep filling vacant positions regularly. Well, one way of arresting this situation is to negotiate some kind of flexi-time with your employees. This has been shown to improve work-life balance, leading to higher employee satisfaction which then leads to higher employee retention rates. Notably, companies with a high staff turnover hardly attract top talent because this is an indication of a broken internal system. Therefore, to keep employee turnover low, consider implementing favourable policies such as flexi-time.
2. Improved Employee Satisfaction
This is closely related to higher employee retention rates. Satisfied employees are motivated, innovative, and will take your company to the next level. Many employers are grappling with achieving employee satisfaction, which means that they are struggling with trying to ensure that their employees are motivated.
One way of achieving employee satisfaction is by providing flexi-time, which allows employees to attend to other aspects of their lives while still being productive. This is a good way of showing employees that their lives outside the company matter and it can lead to satisfaction with their jobs.
3. Improves Employee Productivity
Many employers are grappling with employee productivity. This is mainly driven by the fact that there is no sure formula for ensuring that employees perform at their level best at all times. Improved productivity by employees translates into improved outcome for the company at large. As a result, if you are trying to get the company to perform better, it is best to start by ensuring that individual employees are improving their productivity over time.
Well, research has shown that the time wasted in traffic does have an impact on employee productivity and one way of reducing this is by giving employees flexi-time. This will allow employees to manage their time better such that they can focus more on productivity than on the commute to and from work.
4. Reduces Burnout
While the traditional annual leave is provided to help employees recuperate, the reality is that it is never enough. Additionally, high-stress roles can easily cause burnout and the additional strain of having to deal with traffic to and from work increases the chances of burn out.
With flexi-time, employees are better able to manage their time based on their schedules and work, which reduces stress and burnout. Burnt out employees are unproductive as they are slower and stressed. Thus, if your employees are struggling with burnout, consider giving the flexi-time to help them work conveniently and efficiently.
5. Flexi-Time Saves You Resources
If not for anything else, flexi-time is good for your company if you have been looking to cut down on costs. With flexi-time, it means that your employees spend less time at the office and more time working from a location that is convenient for them. This is good for your company, which can rent a smaller office space, require lower internet bandwidth and even office supplies. Well, this is a good way to cut down costs, which is something that every company has been trying to achieve, especially during hard economic times.
Flexi-time has been on the rise in recent years, mainly supported by improved technology. While the traditional working arrangement has its place in modern society, flexi-time has immense benefits as it generally leads to improved employee productivity, which results in better results for the company. While thinking of ways of improving the well-being of your employees, consider flexi-time.
