How Flexible Working Could Improve Productivity

This is a guest blog by our business partner Jelf. 

Work-life balance is an important factor for all modern-day employees. Over-working not only has a negative effect on employee health, increasing stress and impacting on existing mental health conditions, but it could also limit their productivity while at work.

There are a number of factors that contribute to an employee’s ability to maintain a work-life balance. Some of these include:

• Average number of working hours
• Unpaid overtime
• Sick and holiday provisions
• Support benefits (such as childcare or health benefits)
• An employee’s commute to work.

Research shows that 1 in 3 employees feel they devote too much time to their work. Meanwhile, 6.5 million workers also describe themselves as being unhappy at work. ¹

So, how can you help improve work-life balance amongst your workforce, and what benefits will this produce for you as the employer?

Boosting productivity

Flexible working arrangements are gaining popularity amongst UK employees, with 31% of workers saying they would rather have the ability to work from home than take a pay rise. ²

There are a number of ways you can offer flexible working to suit your business, whether that’s allowing your employees to work at home regularly, or staggering their working hours to free up days in the week.

How ever you choose to implement flexible working, these are just some of the benefits your employees could enjoy:

• Time and money saved on commutes
• The freedom to work in a more comfortable environment
• Ability to fit work around their home and family lifestyles
• Reducing stress by offering more flexibility around working hours
• Increased productivity
• Better attitude towards work.

How flexible working benefits the employer

By introducing flexible benefits, you can actively improve employee job satisfaction, lower stress levels and increase the overall productivity of your workforce.

So flexible working doesn’t only bring benefits to employees. Here are a few ways you as the employer could benefit from a new office structure:

• Become more attractive to potential recruits
• Enjoy a happier and more productive workforce
• Reduce office running costs
• Reduce absences through sickness
• Easy implementation with a quick return on investment.

A good work-life balance benefits employees and businesses alike. Make a smart investment and kick-start conversations around flexible working today.

Speak to Jelf for more information on flexible working and other employee benefits.

References:

1. Employee Benefits - Why employee work-life balance matters and how you can improve it: https://employeebenefits.co.uk/employee-work-life-balance-matters-can-improve/
2. The HR Director - The Benefits of introducing Flexible Working: https://www.thehrdirector.com/features/flexible-working/benefits-introducing-flexible-working/#targetText=Flexible%20working%20arrangements%20bring%20many,increase%20in%20employee%20morale%20%26%20motivation.