{"id":15388,"date":"2021-12-22T10:44:35","date_gmt":"2021-12-22T10:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.easyoffices.com\/blog\/?p=15388"},"modified":"2022-03-28T09:03:26","modified_gmt":"2022-03-28T08:03:26","slug":"the-research-behind-flexible-work-and-productivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.easyoffices.com\/blog\/business-advice-and-news\/the-research-behind-flexible-work-and-productivity","title":{"rendered":"The Research Behind Flexible Work and Productivity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pre-pandemic, many employers were reluctant to let their employees work from home, for fear that they\u2019d be less productive. However, it\u2019s now been shown that the opposite is true, with research highlighting that flexible working is responsible for <\/span>increasing employee productivity by 81%<\/span><\/a>. But why is this the case? Let\u2019s take a look.<\/span><\/p>\n

How does flexible working improve productivity?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

The <\/span>Gartner 2021 Digital Worker Experience Survey<\/span><\/a> found that 43% of respondents said that flexibility in their working hours helped them to achieve greater productivity, and 30% of respondents stated that the lack of commute when working from home enabled them to be more productive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although everyone prefers a different environment, as evident in the figures above, flexible working suits many people as it allows them to work hours that suit their life. Whether that\u2019s starting late to fit in the school drop-off, taking a couple of hours out in the afternoon to care for a relative, or enjoying a long lunch break to fit in a workout, flexible working allows employees to fit work around their lives rather than vice versa.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many employees have also benefitted from not commuting or having a shorter commute during the pandemic. A 2021 study titled \u2018<\/span>Commuting and Innovation: Are Closer Inventors More Productive?<\/span><\/a>\u2019 looked at the impact of commuting on the productivity of inventors in New England California, finding that for every 10 kilometres of distance travelled to work, firms registered 5% fewer patents. The trip to work also had an impact on the quality of work produced, with a 7% reduction for every 10 kilometres travelled.<\/span><\/p>\n

It sounds like working from home is a win for employee productivity. Well, that\u2019s not quite the full picture. The Gartner study also found that 27% of employees said that although they were more productive, it was because they worked longer hours from home. Additionally, 26% said that their productivity actually fell when they worked from home rather than in an office environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why flexible working is so important, giving employees the autonomy to choose what works for them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is flexible working becoming the norm?<\/b><\/h2>\n

With Covid-19 restrictions still in place to some degree, many employers are still figuring out what the future looks like for their workplace. In one study, <\/span>63% of employers surveyed said that they had plans to introduce or expand the use of hybrid working<\/span><\/a>, and 48% planned to expand their use of flexi-time enabling employees to choose when they start and finish work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another report by Flex Appeal found that <\/span>72% of employees want to continue working from home when all restrictions end<\/span><\/a>; 70% want to keep working flexibly, and 64% want to keep part-time hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

It seems for both employees and employers, then, that there\u2019s the desire to continue working flexibly, in whatever form that might take.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Benefits of flexible working<\/b><\/h2>\n

As well as potentially increased productivity, there are numerous other flexible working benefits for both employees<\/a> and employers. Let\u2019s break them down.<\/span><\/p>\n

Benefits of flexible working for employers<\/b><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re looking to grow your business, either now or in the future, then you\u2019ll have a far better chance of attracting talent if you offer flexible working arrangements. In fact, <\/span>87% of people state that they want to work flexibly<\/span><\/a>, but only 11% of jobs are advertised as flexible – so if you can offer this for your staff, you\u2019ll already be ahead of the game. The number of people wanting to work flexibly rises even more when you look at a younger demographic, with 92% of young people stating this to be their preference – so if you want to build a future talent pipeline, a flexible model is the way to go.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Flexible working is also important as it can :<\/span><\/p>\n