From pandemic response to 'flex for life'
Flexible working is undoubtedly front and centre of workplace
discussion and future design right now. But if you're wondering
what's fact and what's just talk, we can help.
We've spent months talking to businesses and employees about the
impact of the pandemic on how we work, and we're now sharing our
insights and expert advice in a handy report as part of our new
campaign Flex For Life.
Our research involved speaking with more than 1,000 Scottish
employees who weren't furloughed, and more than 200 Scottish
business leaders, as well as employee focus group findings and
deep-dive interviews with 14 very different employers, including
wealth management firm Brewin Dolphin and Glasgow-based
construction firm City Building.
Our report provides Scotland's first comprehensive data on
working patterns during Covid as well as expected supply and demand
for flex, and practical advice on how to create more flex in
workplaces now.
The Covid 'experiment' has proved to many businesses and
employees that flexible working can benefit them, and businesses
need to act now to embed what was simply a response to the pandemic
into a sustainable and profitable way of working.
Here's a very brief summary of our findings.
Employee experiences:
- 61% of Scottish employees worked from home at least some of the
time during the pandemic
- Almost half (46%) worked exclusively from home
- 29% moved their hours around home responsibilities
Now, more than half (55%) of Scots say they're considering
asking for more flexibility when restrictions lift, while more than
a quarter (27%) say they'll definitely do this. These groups
include workers who already have some flex and want more, and those
who didn't have any flex before Covid.
Most people only want relatively small changes, showing
businesses are not facing a daunting revolution in working
patterns:
- Nearly half (45%) want to work from home more regularly than
before
- 32% want more flexitime - working the same total hours but
flexing their start/finish times.
- Just 13% want to work part-time
- Only 5% want a job-share
More than half (51%) of homeworkers missed social interaction
with colleagues, suggesting demand for full-time home working will
be limited too.
Employer data
Three quarters (76%) of Scottish business leaders credit
offering more flexibility with helping the business survive the
pandemic.
As a result of their Covid experience:
- 61% of Scottish employers say they expect to offer more home
working even when restrictions lift
- 44% expect to offer more flexitime
- 41% expect to offer more informal flex, such as ad-hoc time off
for appointments
Further key business findings:
- Almost two thirds (61%) of Scottish employers said offering
more flex allowed them to deliver for customers despite the
pandemic disruption, while 49% said it supported employee wellbeing
and 44% said it reduced costs.
- Regardless of Covid, more than two thirds
(67%) of Scottish business leaders said flex improved productivity,
while 66% said it reduced sickness absence and 70% of said it
improved employee loyalty.
Flex pre-Covid
- Before Covid, nearly half (46%) of Scots worked flexibly. A
further 27% didn't work flex but wanted to.
- Just 12% UK workers said they worked from home sometimes
pre-Covid.
The pandemic forced many of us to work differently and it's
often been incredibly tough. Fortunately, we've discovered some
unexpected benefits too. Flexing where - and when - we work has
helped show employees and employers that we can work in different
ways, and it has helped businesses continue to deliver for
customers despite the pandemic disruption.
We've seen that our old '9-5' office week is no longer fit for
purpose. So we're asking employers to work together with employees
to co-create new ways of working. Managers don't need all the
answers, and teams often come up with the best solutions, if you
ask them. Flexibility helped us weather the pandemic but now we
should embrace it for life.
The report and more information about business support from
Flexibility Works is available at flexibilityworks.org
You can join the #FlexForLife conversation at
@flex_works or on LinkedIn
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