Employing a flexible workforce, how it works for you and your employees.

Employing a flexible workforce, how it works for you and your employees.

Back in the old days, shops were not open on Saturday afternoon and Sundays, and mainly business hours during the week were 9am-5pm. Those days are well and truly over! Our work hours, depending on where you live, are sometimes 24 hours a day… New York – the city that never sleeps!

So how are we keeping up with this work demand in our current lifestyle, how do we ensure we still have that work / life balance that is imperative to our happiness and therefore general wellbeing.

Employers and employees need to be a lot more flexible with our working hours. Some days might be longer than others, but its all swings and roundabouts, where you put in those extra hours, a good employer will reward you with a long weekend, or early finish.

Some industries are still required by the type of work, to be set hours, the ones that aren’t, need to be open to flexible working arrangements, I have listed some reasons why below:

Employers:

• If you show employees trust, they will return that feeling and do their utmost to keep that working relationship going
• Happy employees mean harder working employees
• Employees that are happy are infectious, they rub off on other people, changing the culture for the positive
• Reduced sick days, turnover of staff and tardiness
• Enhances your company image, people want to work for someone with a great work / life balance

Employees:

• Can work during the hours they feel the best, some people are night owls or morning people, best to work when you are most alert
• Flexibility to meet all other aspects of your life, family, friends etc
• Better general well being, happy people are healthier people
• More of a want to do the right thing by your company, to keep your job and to try harder because when you work hard you are rewarded

People have very full lives, they now work to live, not live to work. This is why a flexible workforce is great for both sides. Knowing your employees can make their daughters soccer game, their significant others birthday dinner, make it to the gym every morning, go on a walk when 330 hits makes them appreciate their work life balance more than ever. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of happiness employment, family and health are all second most important in our lives, that tells you how important a healthy balance having of all 3 is!