The Shift Towards Flexible Working - What This Means for Your Business

As the workplace continues to evolve, flexible working is no longer a perk or a nice-to-have - it's an expectation, especially among younger generations entering the workforce. In this blog, we’ll explore the growing demand for remote and hybrid work models, and what it means for your business.

While some businesses had already embraced flexible working prior to COVID-19, it was nationwide lockdowns that forced others to rethink their flexible working strategies, as many non-vital, office-based roles were retooled to allow remote working.

Members of Gen Z and younger Millennials beginning their careers in the early 2020s entered a workforce that had largely shifted to remote working. As such, they have now become accustomed to this form of working, and so many roles now are advertised as remote or flexible working roles. This helps them to stand out from the crowd and directly appeal to younger applicants.

Offering remote working opens up recruitment possibilities far beyond the local populace – employees no longer have to be within commuting distance of their office, as there is no need to travel every day. This can be hugely beneficial for businesses that are situated in smaller or more remote areas, as they can widen their reach for potential applicants when hiring. It also means that some businesses can operate entirely online or in smaller offices, saving on rental costs.

Many employees, especially those in entry-level positions, may also appreciate the ability to save money by not having to spend part of their salary on commuting every day. Spending less time on commuting also opens up that time to be spent on other pursuits, such as engaging in hobbies or relaxing, which can in turn benefit employees’ mental and physical health. Employees who are happier with their careers tend to be more loyal to their employers, so the likelihood of a high turnover is lower.

There’s also a benefit for working parents, who are able to be at home with their children while working – this reduces the need for childcare, which may be a strenuous expense for many. Allowing flexible working hours can also be beneficial for parents, as they may wish to adjust their hours based on the times they need to drop off or pick up their children from school.

Of course, offering flexibility should be beneficial to your overall business needs as well as to your employees. You may offer minimums or restrictions to the hours that employees choose to work, as you will need to have staff operating during your busiest times of the week.

You may also require employees to come into the office once or twice a week – this can be useful for bringing employees together and improving teamwork and socialisation among your staff, while also allowing for in-person meetings and social events.

And most importantly, there may be certain jobs that need to be done in person rather than online, so for the business to succeed, there must be people in the office to carry out that work.

When deciding to bring in remote or flexible working to your business, there will be a few things you’ll need to consider. First – is it suited to the nature of your business? If the answer is “yes”, then you may be able to make the switch to entirely remote working immediately. If the answer is “some of the time” you may choose to implement a work policy that dictates that staff should be in the office at least once a week. Taking on board staff preferences for the days they should come into the office can be important for morale and employee satisfaction, though this should always balance with the needs of the business.

The same goes for flexible working – for your business’s needs, there should always be staff working at the busiest times. Working with your employees to make sure they get a say in their assigned working hours is an effective way to increase employee satisfaction, while also keeping them informed about what your business needs to operate effectively.

You may find it more difficult to monitor your employees’ work if you are all working remotely, so it may be helpful to have additional occasional meetings where you can stay up-to-date on their progress and review their output.