Do businesses need to adapt to employees' flexible working demands?
HR Caddy Ltd
Remote or hybrid working has become an extremely popular method of operating for employers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recent research conducted by Kadence has found that 62 per cent of workers feel more trusted to do their job efficiently, while nearly two-thirds feel more motivated as they are not being micromanaged.
Not only this, but two-thirds have said that they feel free to do their work in a time that best suits them. Since this way of working increases a sense of trust, 51 per cent of workers said they feel more motivated to do a better job.
With the pandemic changing the working landscape entirely, it seems that hybrid or flexible working is becoming an expectation for employers to adapt to.
It was recently found that over half of British workers, or 52 per cent, would leave their jobs if they were forced back in the office full-time. As well as this, 11 per cent said they would quit their jobs on the spot.
Why should employers consider flexibility?
There is currently a surge of vacancies across the United Kingdom that has coincided with various skills shortages. Therefore, it has never been more important for businesses to consider adapting their benefits or flexible working policies to attract and retain the top talent.
Although the return to the office is already underway, employers ought to refrain from instantly returning to the 'old' ways of working or pushing workers into returning to the office full-time.
It seems that the ‘usual’ incentives to lure in the best candidates, like ping pong tables and free parking, is no longer enough.
Having a bar in the office was singled out as the least desirable benefit of them all – with 65 per cent of workers saying it isn't a benefit they wanted.
It seems that employees main concern now is having a flexible working schedule that they can fit around their needs. Without having a degree of flexibility in your business, this could prevent potential candidates from applying for job roles, in an increasingly competitive market.
Not to mention, pushing current employees to give up their remote or hybrid working schedules and return to the office full-time will only lead them to look elsewhere at more flexible companies.
At HR Caddy, we understand that human resource management and flexible working schedules are an area that many businesses find a headache, a minefield and incredibly time consuming. Fortunately for you, we can help!
Why not have a look at what we do.