Are companies doing another U-turn with flexible working?

73% of employees from a global survey want flexible working to remain post-pandemic, however a recent survey highlighted only 26% of active recruitment jobs are providing flexible working options. 

Work-life balance is more important than ever and plays a critical role in employee satisfaction, allowing for flexibility whether incorporating core hours to hybrid working.  Bearing in mind Portugal has now passed labour laws which means employers could face penalties for contacting workers outside of office hours, ensuring a better work-life balance.

Companies who are doing a U-turn on work from home could lose out on new and innovative talent coming into the work force. As 2,000 of the Gen-Z workforce were surveyed and results revealed that 87% would not apply for a job without hybrid opportunities, whilst half would like an early finish on Fridays. Reinforcing that the traditional workplace is becoming outdated in 2021.

Alternatively, young professionals may not anticipate the long-term impact including inability to build effective work relationships and damaging their career progression with limited networking opportunities.

The economy is currently within an employee-driven market, allowing candidates to be more selective of companies thus increasing the importance of flexible and positive company culture. Incentives such as remote working, half day Fridays, flexible working hours and dog friendly offices continue to have a positive outlook from the younger generations.

So while employers, rightly, need to assess what is best for their businesses in the long term, they may need to consider how they will compete in the ongoing war for talent in a fast changing environment.

Blog by Beyond HR

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