PHRS BLOG

Job flexibility: Advantages and disadvantages

Due to new lifestyles and technologies adapted to work processes, new ways of improving productivity have been searched. Above all, it has been attempted that the experience of employees within companies is increasingly satisfactory.

With this new approach, new work dynamics have been created in which it is no longer necessary to comply with certain dress codes, a set number of hours on a desk to prove to be a good worker.

Job flexibility, is one of these new forms of work that has been proven to be enormously effective in increasing productivity, increasing talent retention, as well as job and personal satisfaction of employees.

What is job flexibility?

It is a work culture that in recent years has gained popularity in which the employee has the freedom to perform their work in time and from the places that best suit for them according to the dynamics of personal life that each one has.

Labor flexibility is very useful for those who wish to share time with their family and require a different schedule from the traditional ones. It is also useful, in cities where transportation requires a significant investment of time and money for workers.

Thanks to the experience of companies like Google, it was shown that workers’ productivity increases when they can work at their own pace and without feeling pressured by schedules or certain office dynamics that may not fit their personality.

An important feature of job flexibility is that it focuses on obtaining results and their quality, and not on the number of hours that a person stays in an office.

What are the advantages of job flexibility?

The main advantage of labor flexibility is that productivity increases by up to 50%. It is proven that many employees would be able to perform more in less time; because spending more hours in the office is not synonymous of working more.

At the same time, companies that have adopted this culture noticed a decrease in the turnover rates.

In addition, employees feel committed to delivering high-level results on time, regardless of the process that led them to obtain the goals, allowing the company to acquire a higher level of competitiveness when delivering results and obtaining an advantage respecting its competence.

Another of its virtues is that the level of employee satisfaction increases. This is the case because the worker sees the company as an ally rather than as an enemy: it facilitates and puts on his part so that employees can enjoy his personal life, but also his work life.

In cities where transfers to work are long and expensive, it allows employees to feel more comfortable by not having to spend on transportation or invest a lot of time in traffic and, therefore, can invest that time in productive activities.

Labor flexibility is already an indispensable requirement for all those companies that want to attract (and retain) the youngest talent, the millennial generation. And, why should the worker stay in your company if another company does offer it?

And the disadvantages?

One of the disadvantages of this model is that in some people it can enhance the “burnout syndrome”. This is a very common in people who can take their work home, where they are more likely to have intermittent periods of work. As a result, they work all the hours they are awake, leading to chronic fatigue.

By not having an adequate work environment, productivity can decrease by being surrounded by distractors, or you can be confident that you have plenty of time to deliver a task and leave it for the last moment. This increases the risk of not finishing it, or you feel too much pressure to fulfill the work you promised.

Ultimately, there may be a flight of talent from those who do not feel comfortable with a flexible work environment.

Is this model currently applied?

There are many companies internationally that have begun to apply this work scheme like Google and which have proven its effectiveness.

PwC, which has a worldwide presence, is one of the companies that has begun to apply these job dynamics. Based on their experience, there is a need for total freedom and creativity when letting your employees apply work flexibility.

Although they are risks that are run, in general terms, when applied correctly, it is proven that employee productivity will increase and they will feel more committed and motivated to deliver better results.

 

19 September, 2019