2 min read

Five for Friday: Flexibility in the workplace

The ability to work remotely has made it possible to work more flexible hours. But is that flexibility positively or negatively impacting organizations?

By Corey Moseley

According to a 2017 survey by Mercer, 51% of employees wish their company offered them more flexibility. That means the freedom to attend appointments and run errands throughout the day, to pick up their child from school, to work remotely from home or a coffee shop, and to enjoy a better work/life balance. All of which is possible thanks to tools that have made remote work easier than ever, and employers who understand that people have lives outside of work.

We’re lucky to have flexible working hours here at Jostle, but why aren’t more companies giving their people the same freedom to focus on themselves?

The articles in this week’s Five for Friday are all about why flexibility is good for employees and organizations. But it’s not all roses: a few of these articles also explain how to navigate the challenges that can arise when people have the freedom to create their own schedules.

1. Sarah Duffy, writing for the @OpenViewVenture blog, uses hard data to reveal the implications of a non-flexible work environment.

2. Writing for @InsightOnWork, Marie Hillen concedes that flexible working hours helps recruitment efforts and retention rates, but argues that it creates some challenges for productivity.

3. Absurdly talented writer and massive proponent of remote work, Corey Moseley, lays out an allegedly unbiased look at the pros and cons of remote work and flexible working hours.

4. Surprise surprise: @rajgurutandon explains why the most technologically savvy generation in history, Generation Z, demands schedule flexibility to deliver their best work.

5. @MarlaTabaka explains why the flexible working hours offered by “Summer Hours” are good for business.