Flexible working is the new 9-5! Beyond The Book

9 - 5 with a half an hour lunch break to be taken between 12pm and 2pm? Or was it the 8:30am - 6pm with the hour lunch break? If you weren’t in the office by 8:30am, it was noticed; comments may have been made, maybe in jest, but someone was watching.

Fast-forward not even 12 months and this rigid way of working seems almost to be a thing of the past. As I talk to many businesses every week, it is so interesting (and not to mention, completely refreshing) to hear about their new flexible ways of working, for now, and post lockdown.

Flexible working does not mean that you have to let people work from home five days a week, but it can allow you to offer ways of working that will be greatly appreciated by your teams. And your competitors are probably already doing it.

Be prepared! When I’m talking to candidates about new opportunities, their first question isn’t around salary anymore, it’s about flexibility, and people seem to fall into a few camps:

Those with longer commute times, who have found a significant rise in their productivity
Those with nursery aged children who have found their stress levels reduce, and hence, motivation for work increase
Those in roles where concentration time is needed, and without business interference have whizzed through their projects at lightning speed
Those that don’t really need flexible working but appreciate how trusted they are. For these people, they feel more engaged in the business and are appreciative of the grown-up culture

Whatever the reason, it’s clear to see that they all have business benefits, especially when above all of this, candidates are telling us that clients, stakeholders and team collaboration must still come first. Every business is different and there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ solution, but when an arrangement makes sense, we believe the buy-in and increased productivity can really deliver.

So, whether you move to a hybrid model of allowing split office and home time, get rid of set lunch breaks, allow people to work around appointments and childcare, or let people finish the week a bit earlier if they’ve put the hours in; it certainly looks worth considering for both attracting new employees and retaining your amazing team.

If you would like to pick my brains, about any of the insight we have from our perspective, please contact me at any time.