Once considered a taboo in the Asian working culture, flexible work arrangements is now garnering a lot of traction in the workplace in recent years.
Based on the report, Work-Life Design, The New Balance, by recruitment specialist Kelly Services, “70% of talent in Singapore see flexible work arrangements as positively impacting work-life balance.” Furthermore, their findings indicated that 77% of the workers in the Asia-Pacific region consider work-life balance as an important factor when deciding where to work.
Likewise, workplace flexibility is no longer a gender issue. Women in Singapore want to be able to juggle their family and career while men want to be able to pursue their personal needs. Thus, employers in Singapore are seeing the need to keep up with this innovative workplace benefit in order to attract and retain talents.
Feeling cynical about flexible working arrangements within your organisation? Here are some benefits of implementing a flexible work practice within your company.
PRODUCTIVE WORKFORCE
A flexible work arrangement allows employees to take a break whenever they need to without incurring the wrath of their bosses. Furthermore, it allows employees to work in an environment that is conducive in enhancing their productivity. Likewise, greater flexibility prevents employees from feeling compelled to stay back after office hours, thus allowing them to get sufficient rest to boost their work performance.
BETTER TEAMWORK
Exercising the same flexible work arrangements across the board isolates exclusivity and resentment as everyone is offered the same flexibility. With that, it encourages everyone to help pitch in whenever someone is away. This creates a more supportive and connected team within the company.
HAPPIER EMPLOYEES
A flexible work arrangement allows employees to set their own schedules. In turn, this allows them to pursue their own interests outside of work. Additionally, it provides them time to take on outside courses or learn new skills that might be beneficial to their personal growth and career development.
WIDER TALENT POOL
With more workers ranking flexible work arrangement as a major attraction factor, offering this benefit might actually increase your talent pool. In addition, it can open up a more diverse range of talents as the talent pool is now not closed off to those who can take 9-to-5 jobs. This could mean hiring stay-home mothers or people with slight disabilities etc.
REDUCED TURNOVER
Flexible work arrangements translate to happier and productive employees which in turn lead to reduced turnover rates. After all, the grass is already much greener within the company. There is no need for them to look for greener pastures elsewhere.
While the benefits of flexibility within the workplace are widely known, the challenge lies in implementing them within the company to avoid complications. Additionally, frequent communication to your employees is essential to avoid making them feel disengaged. There are many ways of implementing flexible work arrangements within the organisation. The key here is to find an arrangement that best fits your company culture.
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