The common eight hour work day is archaic.
Companies that force their teams to adhere to a 9-6 schedule with absolutely no flexibility are missing out on such a big opportunity for an easy way to maximize their team's potential.
If you're trying to make a case to choose when and how you work, point to the numerous benefits it would have for the employer. This is important: Focus on how your freedom would benefit the company.
“Employers really don't want to hear sob stories about sick relatives and nightmarish schedules, and employees really don't want to discuss overwhelming stress and strong desires to have personal lives,” says Cynthia Calver, employment lawyer, researcher and author.
At its core, the beauty of a flexible schedule is that it's a win-win situation. Here's how flex work benefits companies:
Since our minds can only exert as much energy as it receives, mobile workers can create a unique schedule that works best for them.
“By empowering employees to take responsibility for their time management and allowing them some control to work when they work best (rather than when it’s deemed best by the employer), employees can increase their engagement and productivity,” says Sara Sutton Fell, CEO of Flex Jobs.
Fell would agree and points out that offering the freedom to set your own schedule and work remotely is a great way to empower your team. “At the core, flexible schedules are one significant step towards treating employees like adults,” Fell says.
Simply put: Flexible work environments make people happy.
“Employees can reduce their stress levels (by avoiding peak traffic hours, for example), increase their work-life balance (by adjusting their schedules for personal or family reasons when necessary), and overall be happier with their employer…all of which can benefit the employer in terms of lower turnover, increased loyalty, and a better corporate culture,” Fell says.
“In fact, the top reason people want to work from home is to avoid interruptions from colleagues (82% in a survey done by FlexJobs), followed they want to reduce commute stress, minimize office politics, and have a more comfortable office environment,” Fell says.
Plus, allowing your team to choose when and how they work gives them a chance to take care of their personal matters so they can focus on work uninterrupted.
She recommends:
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