Flexible Is the New Norm
It’s perfectly normal to instant message a coworker on another continent, answer a work email while waiting in the grocery line, or finish up a presentation at home after dinner. Jason Phillips VP Digital HR & Global Chief of Staff at Cisco said this:
“Work Flexibility is becoming the norm. The challenge is how fast can organizations provide it. Those that can are going to be in a far better position to retain top talent over the next three to five years.” – Jason Phillips – Vice President Digital HR & Global Chief of Staff at Cisco
Flexible Work Environments Benefit Business
Have you heard the adage, what’s good for employees is good for the business? It rings loud and true. Offering a flexible work environment can help attract top talent and improve productivity and retention. It’s now often a top priority for candidates when choosing a job to find one with flexible work hours. What’s more, is that retention rates improve when the work conditions are flexible so businesses can attract top talent and hold onto them.
While the clearest benefit of flexibility is greater work-life balance for employees, it also helps employers attract and retain talent while boosting productivity.
A recent Stanford study in China showed that letting employees work from home increased productivity by 13% and reduced turnover by 50%. The results were so successful that the company, Ctrip, rolled out the policy to all 16,000 employees—and saw even greater productivity gains: an increase of 22%.6
Promoting Flex Time
Employers are best off when they have flexible work policies and promote them. Doing so helps lure top talent. In fact, LinkedIn data shows that there has been a 78% increase in job posts on LinkedIn that mention work flexibility since 2016.
Promote your flexible hours and the ability to work remotely in job descriptions, candidate interviews, and employee meetings. Set expectations, answer questions, and clear up common misconceptions.
Work with an HR consultant to audit your existing policies or create new ones.
Melissa Marsh, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is a human resources consultant and founder of HRinDemand, a human resources company in Reno, NV, offering expert guidance and easy-to-use tools to help small businesses with employment regulations, compliance, employee relations, and company growth. Subscribe to HR Tips for more human resources news and tips.
Source: “2019 Global Talent Trends – The 4 Trends Transforming Your Workplace. .” LinkedIn Talent Solutions, 2019.