Working 9–5 Is(n’t) The Way To Make A Livin’

The future of work flexibility and what it means for you.

🎶 Tumble outta bed

and stumble to the kitchen,

pour myself a cup of ambition… 🎶

🎶 And yawn and stretch and try to come to life

Jump in the shower

And the blood starts pumpin’ 🎶

With the option of flexible working hours, employees can now pursue and reach their goals at their own pace. In fact, in a survey by Adecco 54% of 100,000 associates cited work flexibility as a way to pursue their own personal interests, with 34% stating it allows them to be in control of their own goals.

The two CEO’s of Werk — a startup advocating the future of work flexibility — produced a recent report which analyzed 6 types of work flexibility, such as; unconventional hours, adaptability, location flexibility, location independence, minimal travel, and the option to work on a part-time basis. The report cited that 96% of employees showed interested in one or more of these flexible working options, but only 47% had access to this.

“Flexibility is not an office perk. It’s a key strategic advantage for companies who are serious about having a sustainable, un-contestable competitive advantage.” — Annie Dean, co-CEO of Werk”

This is something that will cause massive issues down the line for leaders of white-collar industries if they don’t start to change their approach and embrace the workplace of the future. A recent white paper study by EY revealed that 75% of millennials want the ability to work flexibly and still be on track for a promotion, so businesses need to start recognizing that work flexibility doesn’t equate to a lack of commitment or ambition.

Many top-dogs in these companies believe that work flexibility puts the emphasis on life over work in the whole work/life balance scenario and, well, basically they think that work flexibility = slacking off.

🎶 Out on the streets

The traffic starts jumpin

With folks like me on the job from 9 to 5 🎶

The thing is, they’re simply misinformed. Work flexibility is a relatively new thing, and back in the day, “working from home” was a novelty that most assumed meant you were either sick or hungover and trying to get out of doing a whole lot that day. But as we move into a new era of work, that mentality simply can’t come with us.

The Werk report revealed that employees who are allowed flexibility are:

• twice as likely to be satisfied with their jobs
• more likely to act as company advocates
• 22% more likely to be engaged in brainstorming/sharing ideas for the growth of the company
• 34% more productive

The reality is that many people who are offered the opportunity of work flexibility will do the same amount of work but they’ll do it during the time when they’re most productive rather than forcing themselves to be productive from 9–5 each day. And maybe even in less time. This can mean working from the office or with the option to work from home.

🎶 Workin 9 to 5

What a way to make a livin

Barely gettin by

It’s all takin and no givin 🎶

In addition, research by Stanford professor Nicholas Bloom, found that remote work increases productivity, employees satisfaction, and overall work hours.

Bloom observed 250 employees at a Chinese travel website called Ctrip over 9 months with half of the employees working from home and half working from the office. The study revealed that removing the time taken to commute to work and the in-office distractions made a massive difference. The telecommuters completed 13.5% more calls than the in-office workers and 10% more work overall. They also reported feeling more fulfilled at work and the company saved $1900 per employee.

Dedicating as much time to your personal life as you do to your work isn’t a bad thing. As it stands, there are people working overtime to simply look like they’re working harder, when in reality they could probably get all of that work done inside work hours. I once worked in an office where leaving at 5 was a fast track road to being hauled into one-to-one’s about your lack of commitment to the company. And that’s just wrong.

🎶 They just use your mind

And they never give you credit

Its enough to drive you

Crazy if you let it 🎶

With the option of flexible working in place, employees can benefit from things such as:

• More flexibility to manage family needs, life/personal responsibilities more conventialy, i.e. no more having to miss your kids dance recital or giving up that gym class because it doesn’t fit in with their work hours.
• Time and money saved on commuting if working from home.
• Avoid commuting stress during peak hours by going into work later in the day/working from home
• Create their own schedule and working environment in line with what boosts their productivity
• Take breaks regularly and avoid the risk of burnout or stress overload
• Work when they’re most productive, i.e. early bird vs night owl (check out this blog post to figure out when you’re most productive)

🎶 9 to 5, for service and devotion

You would think that I

Would deserve a fair promotion 🎶

On the other hand, there are people who simply are working themselves into the ground and being productive as well as being busy, but how long do you think that lasts before something else gives? And that something will be something in their personal lives. And the stress of dealing with whatever that is, will carry over to their professional lives. So, in the end, no-one wins.

Businesses need to realize that allowing work flexibility in their organizations promotes employee wellness which lends itself to increased productivity and morale. Employees aren’t the only ones who benefit from this new way of working, employers do too! Here are a few of the things that employers can look forward to once they embrace the flexible workplace of the future:

• Increase in employee commitment, engagement, and overall morale
• Less absenteeism
• A wider pool of talented employees to recruit from, including the option of remote workers based anywhere in the world
• Reduced staff turnover
• Extended out of office hours for areas like customer services and tech support

🎶 But the boss won’t seem to let me in

I swear sometimes

That man is out to get me 🎶

The key way to get more businesses on board with flexible working is to ensure they are up-to-date and knowledgeable about the tools available to support this. For many businesses, the idea of remote work would be a flat out “no”. And this is simply because they have no idea how to set it up or manage that kind of work situation.

This is where collaborative task management tools like Buckets come in to play, especially in team-oriented offices where regular daily interaction is a requirement in order to get the job done.

It’s also important to have clear objectives and deliverables in place so that the employer and employee can conduct a fair assessment of how the flexible working arranging is working out.

If you’re an employee who wants to work remotely, it’s worth reading our blog post: Remote Work: 5 Ways To Get Your Boss On Board for some tips on how to approach your manager. It’s important to reiterate the benefits to your employer as we noted earlier, such as being available out of office hours.

🎶 They let you dream

Just to watch ’em shatter

You’re just a step

On the boss man’s ladder

But you got dream he’ll never take away”🎶

The 9–5 working model has been with us since the industrial age and it’s time to give it a makeover. The idea that an office full of staff = profitability and productivity is ridicuously outdated. The future of work flexibility allows for work/life integration; whether that’s arranging your work hours around your kids creche hours or working on short-term contracts that meet your needs at the time without the fear of looking like a “job-hopper”.

People want more flexibility and autonomy in their work and life, and task management platforms such as Buckets are designed to fufill that need, making it easier for people to manage their work and life in a way that works for them rather than a way that’s been dictated to them.

🎶 “On the same boat

With a lot of your friends

Waitin for the day

Your ship will come in 🎶

With the Millennial generation set to become the majority of the workforce, it’s clear that flexible working will become commonplace sooner rather than later an businesses will have to meet the needs of their employees.

Of course there will be obstacles along the way, but we’re on the way and that’s what matters!

🎶 And the tides gonna turn

And it’s all gonna roll your way 🎶

Thanks For Reading!

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