Making the argument for flexible scheduling
Does flexible work time make actually employees more productive — and, more importantly, is it feasible for your company? Guest author Pierce Ivory explores just how effective flexible work time can be for employers of all stripes.
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Employees are an essential part of every business. They will determine whether or not a company sinks or swims. If you have hard-working, productive, employees, then you’ll see a lot of success. Your business will work like an efficient machine, with all the cogs working in harmony. On the other hand, unproductive employees can be damaging to your business. They can slow your business down and mean you struggle to make any money.
It’s vitally important that a business knows how to manage their employees properly. This means ensuring they stay productive while caring for their health too. If your staff are stressed or in poor health, then it’s bad for them and your business. No one can work to their full potential when stressed; they become unproductive.
So, what can you do to make employees more productive and stress-free? Well, there are many ideas and theories out there surrounding this topic. However, I’m going to focus on something that’s become a recent phenomenon. The concept of flexible work time has been floating around the business world for years. Allowing your employees to be flexible when they work, as opposed to having a strict working schedule. There have been studies that suggest flexible working makes employees stress free and more productive. But, how? How can flexible work time do this? Well, I did some research and found out how these things are connected.
More Balanced Life
Flexible work time allows employees to have a more balanced life. They can juggle work and personal life a lot easier than working in a strict fashion. It means they’re able to get all of their personal commitments out of the way and taken care of. By doing this, they have nothing on their mind while they work, other than work of course! It leads to fewer distractions while working, meaning productivity can increase. Plus, finding that balance is key to reducing stress. Most people stress because they can’t juggle these two areas of their life. They’re at work all day and then come home and have personal issues to deal with. By working flexibly, you can find the right balance between the two.
Increased Happiness
Naturally, people much prefer flexible working to a typical 9-5 shift. The ability to work when you need to means you don’t wake up dreaming of 5 pm. Most people hate getting up for work and are unhappy as they sit in their office from morning till early evening. With flexible working, employees are far happier. Happiness, of course, leads to a reduction in stress levels. As such, you become more productive and get a lot of work done with a smile on your face. For businesses, this is good news too. It means there’s a higher staff retention rate, as people are happy in their job. Happy employees will bring nothing but positivity to any company. It’s well worth giving your employees flexible work time if you see that they’re looking angry and disgruntled every day. The longer you leave them this way, the more they start to hate your company. As a result, your business will deteriorate, fast.
Better Time Management
Time management is an essential part of productivity. If an employee is making the most out of their time, then they’re going to be productive. Often, people who work typical office hours will waste a lot of their day doing nothing. There will be long periods where no work gets done because they’re bored and can’t concentrate. Some people don’t work well early in the morning, whereas others can’t concentrate in the early afternoon. With flexible work time, employees choose to work when they’re at their peak levels of alertness. This means they manage their time well and get a lot of work done.
The biggest argument against flexible working is that it’s hard to manage your employees. But, thanks to the latest HR software on the market, it’s easy for businesses to allow a switch to flexible work time. Companies like Advance Systems have mobile workforce software for businesses to use. This allows employees to log in and state when they worked and what hours they worked for. It lets a business keep track of their employees while letting them get on with their flexible work.
So if you’re experiencing problems with employee productivity, then flexible work time may be the solution. It’s worth trying on a trial basis at least, just to see if things change and productivity increases. I highly suggest you allow stressed employees to work flex-time too; it can help them relax and work better.
This post originally appeared on Joanne Dewberry’s UK Small Business Blog.
