Impact of Flexi-time/ WFH on Employees Productivity & Satisfaction

In the current scenario, a lot of organizations have opted for a work-from-home/Flexi hours policy. But is the policy really helping in increasing the productivity of their employees or is it hampering the well-being of an employee?

Companies like TCS, Accenture, HCL, etc. are providing work from home to their employees on a permanent basis. Is it a solution to work-life balance or a hindrance?

But first let’s understand what exactly these contemporary policies mean, what work-life balance means, and why are companies opting for-what is working from home, working from the office, Flexi timing, compressed hours, sabbaticals?

Work-life balance is about effectively managing the juggling act between work and family that are important to a person. It’s about when an employee feels he/she has an equilibrium in all aspects of his/her life. The ‘right’ balance is a very personal thing and will change for each person at different times of his or her life. For some people, the issue is being able to get into work or find more work, rather than having too much work. There is no ‘one size fits all solution.

A balanced life is one where we spread our energy and effort — emotional, intellectual, imaginative, spiritual, and physical — between key areas of importance. The neglect of one or more areas, or anchor points, may threaten the vitality of the whole.

Organizations have stepped up to take care of Work-Life Balance for their employees. They also believe that an employee can only give their all to work if they are completely satisfied with themselves. And for this purpose, they have come up with these policies.

Some contemporary policies adopted by companies:

1. Working from home: Employees spend all or part of their week working from home or away from the employer’s premises.
2. Flexi-time: When an employee is required to work for an agreed-upon number of core hours but has the freedom to choose how and when they work outside of these core hours.
3. Employees work their agreed-upon hours on fewer working days.
4. Employees may be granted an extended period of time off, either paid or unpaid. This could be for studies, maternity, etc.
5. Annualized hours: Employees may accrue their hours over a year.
6. Time in lieu: Employees may take time off to compensate for extra hours worked.

People have different views on this. After experiencing working from home, people feel that they are more productive than in the office, as they have a better mindset in a workspace than at home. The level of productivity is much higher in an office than it can be at home, but why is that? Why do people prefer to work from home? At the same time, some people feel that they are more productive and satisfied with their work when they are working from home as they have the freedom to finish their work at their own pace. They feel at ease knowing that they can work in accordance with their flexibility & time.

I personally spoke to people in different industries to gain their perspective on these contemporary policies that companies are opting for these days, be it working from home, flexi-time, compressed hours, etc. Here is what people have to say.

People have different views on this policy. Some feel that when they are at home, there are a lot of things that they want to do for their family, like helping out in household courses, going out for groceries, taking care of their children, etc. They feel that they are not able to give 100% to their work as there are a lot of distractions that they may not have when they are leaving the office. Some feel that when they have a meeting and are working from home, their family has to be shut out in a room so that they can complete their meeting in peace, or they have to be in a room so that they can work better. They feel their work more because there is no fixed timing. There is no 9–6 shift where they can shut off their laptop and come back home.

But on the other hand, some feel that it gives them the flexibility to do their job on time and increase their satisfaction. They feel that they have the freedom to finish their job. They can do it at their own pace and complete their work. They feel they are able to manage their time between work and their family, they have a sense of happiness, and they are more satisfied and productive at work. Working from home or on flex-time is something they enjoy doing when they are in the right frame of mind and give their all to their work. People’s happiness is driven by their job satisfaction and productivity.

After understanding both points of view, I can say that there is no correct policy. It depends on the organization and its employees to see what works best for them. Work from home, work from the office, Flexi hours, all these policies are two sides of the same coin. It depends on which side you want to look at. Productivity and satisfaction are only possible when we are happy and in all aspects of our lives, when we don’t have to worry about sacrificing our work or our family time.

Written by: Anmol Sharma, Associate HR Generalist.