- Reduced employee stress: Research by FlexTime, involving over 1,000 employees and supervisors on flexible working hours using the VisionTime system, was carried out in conjunction with City University, London. Results show that flexible working provides the employee with enhanced job control. Where employees experience greater job control, it leads to reduced workplace stress. Indeed, many of the advantages listed here and which are associated with flexible working hours can be ascribed to this single factor – the employee’s feeling of having greater job control.
- Improved employee morale: Employees with more control over their arrival and departure times are happier employees. This is supported by FlexTime’s own research which carried was out with London City University.
- Controlled costs: Pay matters can be weighed against offering flexible working hours and arrangements. This is a major advantage to organisations trying to find ways to combat the forces of the economy.
- Reduced absenteeism: Absenteeism has been reduced in companies by as much as 25% through flexible working. Instead of taking the odd casual day off, staff now they have the chance to do what they need to do and arrive into work later (eg, doctor or dentist appointment).
- Reduced staff turnover: Turnover usually decreases when flexitime is introduced – a vital consideration in terms of keeping key staff.
- Increased productivity: While often it is difficult to measure improved productivity, especially in white collar environments, some VisionTime users claim that productivity has increased by between 1% and 5%. Relationships between staff and management have improved and most people working with VisionTime would not like to return to fixed working days.
- Reduced overtime: As employees can regulate the hours they work (within the given guidelines) to cope better with busier and slack periods, it reduces the need for overtime.
- Timely job completion: Did you know that it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to an interrupted task. Read this interesting article on interrupted work here. Flexible working hours is more aligned to the principle of task oriented work. Then employees will tend to want to complete tasks if possible. Even the fact that employees tend to now arrive and leave work at differing time encourages the employee to get straight to and keep with the task. Another example is that with flexible working hours towards the end of the day, the employees can be inclined stay on at work longer, satisfied in the knowledge that the time worked is being built up. This can avoid wasted time the next day by having re-start a task and needing to recap on what has been done the previous day.
- Improved working relations between employees and supervisors:
Flexible working can replace the old fashioned concept of what is often referred to as Face Management (ie, the boss needing to see the employee to believe work is being performed). This is a cultural thing that can be overcome by organisations realising that a more far-sighted approach can be taken. Indeed, if we can call Face Management an old culture device, its preservation can lead to all sorts of situations (an employee feeling he has to stay late just to impress a boss). In a modern working environment, employees can resent such an approach, often knowing themselves that by comparison, flexible working engenders a task oriented environment. - Improved Staff Retention: Make no mistake, employees compare how friends and family members are being treated in their workplaces. Some will transfer to another workplace that offers flexible working. We know of specific cases where the main reason that key people continue to work in particular organisations is because of the benefits of flexitime
- More efficient working: Employees arriving at work at different times cuts down a lot of the general chit-chat about last night’s TV or the latest news headlines.
- Improved communications: Communications become more concentrated as everyone within the organisation knows that all staff are available during the core period.
- Improved staff concentration: Concentration may be difficult in a busy office, but during the flexible part of the day there are always quiet times when people can focus on doing a difficult job.
- Uneven workloads identified: Workloads are clearer to identify by the amount of hours worked by individuals. This enables alterations to be made, or even promotions to be considered.
- Recruiting new staff: Flexible working hours can be listed as an employee benefit.
- Combating weather conditions: Recent more extreme and varied weather conditions make it increasingly difficult for employees to work towards rigid working times. With flexible working, employees have more flexibility in their arrival times, so employees are more likely to come to the office rather than stay at home