Flexibility = Productivity: How Allowing Staff to Decide Their Own Hours Could Help Your Business

Flexible working may seem like a lot of hassle to an employer; pandering to an individual’s needs whilst negating the needs of your company. However, recruitment giant Undercover Recruiter’s recent infographic shows startling statistics concerning the idea of flexible working.

What Is Flexible Working?
The Government’s flexible working hours scheme allows employees to apply for changes to their working week. These changes include lessening the daily hours they work and the number of days per week they work to suit the needs of their personal life e.g., if an employee has children or is a carer to a sick or elderly relative. Types of flexible working include; compressed hours (the employee works full time hours over fewer days), job sharing (two members of staff share the same job) and working from home, which has become an increasingly popular request made more manageable by the Internet and technology. Any employee can apply provided they meet the criteria and send a letter stating their needs to their employer.

How Can Flexible Working Help Businesses?
It might seem like a surprising statistic but, according to Undercover Recruiter’s infographic which summarises research carried out by Office Principles, 70% of managers reported an increase in productivity after moving to flexible working hours.

In addition to the above over 63% of managers reported flexible working as having a direct link to staff productivity.

Taking these findings into account, from the employee’s point of view, perhaps being allowed to amend working hours over recent years has come as a welcome change, made people feel valued and as a result, work harder and more effectively. Thirty nine percent of workers have even stated that since being given the opportunity to use flexible working they have worked more hours and over 95% believe that the concept of flexible working itself has motivated them to succeed.

It appears that allowing your staff to create their own working week can be a smart move. Happy staff = happy company!

Jamie Mistlin, RecruitmentRevolution.com – find me on Google+.