Does Your Organization have a Flexibility Gap?
Did you know there is a significant flexibility gap in the current workplace? A recent study reveals that 96% of the current white collar workforce needs flexibility, but only 42% have the flexibility that they need. Flexibility affects worker health and wellness, performance and productivity, and ability to care for others.
What is a Flexible Job?
“A flexible job is a full-time W2 role with a structured set of time or location-based modifications that ensure high compatibility between the needs of an employee and the employer. The gig economy, on the other hand, is a labor market of short-term contracts and freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs…Unlike gigging, structured flexibility provides the support and stability of traditional workplaces.“ (Werk, 2018)
Flexibility has a positive impact on bottom line and company culture.
Workers without flexibility are 2x more likely to leave their job than those with flexible options. It is much less expensive for a company to retain a current employee than recruit, hire, and train a new one. The study found that employees working in flexible companies are more satisfied and engaged, their health is improved, and their productivity is higher as well.
Increasing flexibility increases diversity in the workforce.
Flexibility is a woman’s #1 search criteria when looking for a new role. Women have the largest flexibility gap in the workforce with 95% needing access to flexibility, but only 34% getting those needs met by their employer.
How Can You Implement a Flexibility Program?
Five flexibility options to explore:
- Agile Schedule: Ability to step away for 1–3 hours if necessary to meet unexpected needs if proper notice is given and daily objectives are met.
- Unconventional Hours: Formalized shift in workday hours to increase productivity and well-being. For example, shifting hours to avoid a long commute, working in shorter sprints rather than 8 hours in a row, or working four longer days and taking a fifth day off.
- Location Variety or Independence: Working either partly remote or fully remote.
- Minimal Travel: Roles that require no more than 10% travel and utilize virtual meetings.
- Reduced Workload: These positions remain in an advancement role. Workers have the skills and expertise to complete objectives within a reduced hour schedule.
The Millennial Baby Boom
It is not surprising that working parents are burdened most by the lack of flexibility in the workplace. Men and women expressed equal difficulty, reflecting modern family structures that have shifted significantly. Millennials are in the midst of a baby boom, and it is requiring companies to re-evaluate their policies and consider ways to assist both men and women equally as caregivers.
*Source: The Future is Flexible. Werk, 2018.
