Around 76% of millennials are ready to agree to a salary reduction in favour of a flexible schedule. 80% of employees from different sectors are ready to be more loyal to their employers when a flexible working schedule is available. 58% of Generation Z employees have experienced professional burnout, and 77% of employees wish to completely change their workplace in the near future. An increasing number of modern employees from different sectors are refusing the standard 9:00 to 17:00 schedule, choosing in favour of a flexible working schedule when they can independently select a convenient time and place of work. According to Microsoft research, 73% of employees wanted flexible schedules to remain even after COVID-19. This overview provides a more detailed introduction to what a flexible working schedule is, its advantages, and how to implement it correctly.

Flexible Working Schedule: What Is It?

Many managers still do not understand what a flexible schedule means: allowing employees to come to the office at any convenient time? Allowing them to work 1 day a week from home and spend all the remaining time in the office?

A flexible working schedule implies performing work at the most convenient time and in a convenient place for the employee. In this case, employers take into account their employees’ wishes, referring to their effectiveness in completing tasks. Therefore, not the exact number of hours worked comes first, but the result of the work done. Each employee receives the necessary freedom and autonomy, which are useful for completing specific tasks.

In any work, flexibility has three main aspects:

1. Flexible employment opportunities – working full-time/part-time or on contract as a freelancer
2. Flexible working schedule – employees independently choose the most convenient schedule for themselves, referring to their own wishes and plans
3. Flexible choice of workplace – employees independently choose their place of work (this can be home, office, or a combination of “home + office”)

Thus, flexibility provides the necessary freedom to choose one or another condition for performing work.

Main Advantages of Flexible Employment Format

Flexible format allows employees to manage their work taking into account their own comfort and wishes. Companies gain the opportunity to hire specialists from different countries without being limited by geographical ties, meaning more experienced and talented employees can be hired.

Among the main advantages of a flexible schedule, the following should be highlighted:

• Saving money. After labour costs, the second largest expense item is office space rental. If part of the employees have a flexible working schedule, much less space will be needed to accommodate the entire team. Furthermore, saving money is also relevant for employees: up to $4,000 per year can be saved through reduced transport costs and money for food and clothing.
• Increased productivity. Employees understand well that their work is determined not by the number of hours worked, but by quality. This means they create ideal conditions for themselves to complete the task 100%. Around 77% of employees note that working from home contributes to increasing their productivity.
• Retaining talent in the workplace. 80% of employees choose in favour of work with a flexible schedule, meaning they give preference to companies ready to provide them with this opportunity. 36% are ready to resign from their current job immediately if they are refused a flexible working schedule.

Every employer knows that hiring new employees is a labour-intensive, expensive process. After all, the costs of replacing specialists can be 2 times more than a new employee’s salary for a year of work.

Effective Implementation of Flexible Work Format

Implementation of such a format should occur taking into account certain rules and useful recommendations:

1. First of all, one needs to start with the assumption that everything can be organised in a flexible format. Excellent proof was work during pandemic conditions, when many global companies transferred their employees to a freelance model. Flexibility is not the absence of structure, but the opportunity to offer employees an atmosphere and conditions in which they will enjoy working.
2. It is necessary to familiarise oneself with current hybrid work models. A good employer will not force their employees to work only in the office, just as they will not force them to work from home. After all, not everyone has appropriate conditions for organising work at home. Therefore, a hybrid business model should be considered, where employees can independently choose the most convenient format for themselves. The optimal variant is chosen taking into account what is convenient for the company and its employees. However, when planning a transition to a hybrid model, one should initially ask oneself 15 questions, the answers to which will help organise a proper hybrid workplace.
3. One should not consider the workplace as the only indicator of productivity. If employees perform the tasks set before them with quality within precisely specified timeframes, there is no difference in when they start and finish their work. Flexible format is finding the ideal rhythm. For example, some find it more convenient to work at night, others choose morning or day. The manager must pay attention to forming an optimal corporate culture so that none of the employees are subjected to judgement for choosing certain flexible schedule options.
4. In addition to flexibility, employees can also be offered additional benefits. For example, such a schedule is often chosen by mothers on maternity leave, people who need to look after elderly or sick relatives. As a result, the employer takes into account their employees’ family circumstances. Another advantage is unlimited paid time off (PTO), through which the employee understands that the company takes their interests into account. This contributes to strengthening trusting relationships.

Flexibility also implies compensation for setting up a home office: employees can organise an ideal working atmosphere for themselves, which will contribute to their motivation. For example, reimbursement of expenses for purchasing appropriate computer equipment, office furniture, additional accessories and supplies.

Flexible Schedule – An Important Part of Comfortable Work

With the aim of attracting the attention of experienced specialists and professionals from other countries, a flexible schedule is considered an integral working condition for many companies. Modern employees wish to fully control their working day, balancing between work and personal life. It is precisely in this balance that high productivity will manifest itself in the course of completing set tasks. Today, forcing employees into office work and a strict 09:00 to 17:00 schedule is considered unacceptable.

To attract a large number of talented employees, one cannot do without good corporate culture, competitive salary, and other equally important advantages. However, even with all the advantages, one should not refuse flexible work format. Because such a format is important for people: they need freedom of choice and decisions.

A flexible schedule contributes to:

• Making employees’ lives easier.
• Increasing their productivity.
• Satisfying needs and reminding them that they are valued.

As a result, flexible work format means a great deal to company employees, and for managers it is an excellent opportunity to supplement their workforce with qualified specialists.