Why everyone loves flexible working

According to a recent study, every generation is a fan of flexible working.

The survey, conducted by Zoom, revealed that flexibility is no longer considered a perk; it’s an expectation.

In fact, 79 per cent of those under 30s rank flexible work as their number one work-offered perk. Similarly, 72 per cent of Millennials agree, and 69 per cent of Gen X and Baby Boomers.

These overwhelming results highlight just how crucial it is for businesses to be offering flexible working arrangements. On average, 43 per cent of knowledge workers across the world understand that flexible working is a basic expectation.

“Australians are always evolving and finding better ways to work. Time is a valuable asset and cannot be duplicated, and employees are starting to realise this and are demanding flexible work options,” said the head of Zoom ANZ, Bede Hackney.

Time is the overarching theme that Zoom said encompasses flexible working. Having more time to spend in our homes, not wasted travelling, gives us the freedom to spend it with loved ones or doing what we enjoy.

Zoom commented: “Time is one of life’s most valuable assets because it’s the one thing you cannot make more of. It’s a shared human resource, universal across languages, cultures, and generations.”

The traditional nine-to-five model could prove outdated. Managing our expectations and working within a time frame that suits us can help to keep workers happier and fulfilled. Australians realise this, as Zoom revealed that 88 per cent of workers in the country believe flexible working makes for happier employees.

Furthermore, in Australia, 76 per cent of Gen X and Baby Boomers and 71 per cent of Gen Z and Millennials said that flexible hours and location matter the most. This dispels the rumour that it’s only the younger workers who are after flexible working. It benefits everybody, and older Australians realise this.

Flexibility can mean many different things. With this in mind, employers may be struggling to define what it means to be flexible. To assist, Globalization Partners created a guideline that identifies different policies:

• Flexi: Working flexi means to work as and when you choose, subject to completing your contracted hours.
• Compressed hours: Reallocating your working hours, typically through a shorter working week.
• Staggered hours: Starting or finishing work at a different time than your co-workers to work around your routine.
• Location: Diversifying where you work, such as working from home, from an office, or a hybrid approach, which is a combination of the above.
• Job sharing: Sharing one role between two individuals to divide the workload and hours — a form of part-time working.
• Part-time: Working fewer hours a week.
• Annualised hours: Working a fixed number of hours annually but spreading them out differently each day according to demand. Normally, employees will be paid as if they worked the same hours all the time.

Jack Campbell

Jack is the editor at HR Leader.