A positive culture is the backbone of a vibrant and productive workplace, and a proper work-life balance helps to build it. There are many positive benefits of granting additional freedom to employees. From happier employees to a more relaxed atmosphere, to increased respect and trust. Below are some ways in which a liberated schedule flexibility will work in your favor:
Productivity Increase Why
With the environment of trust and autonomy granted, productivity becomes incentivized in the minds of employees. They feel a sense of gratitude and responsibility for the freedom and will feel inclined to hold up their end of the deal. Happier employees are always a good thing. Positive work culture is a great way to bolster morale and a willingness to work hard.
Decrease in Stress
Stress is a leading cause of anguish and discontent in the workplace. A flexible schedule can help to circumvent a great deal of stress. A great synergistic implementation in regard to decreasing stress is the use of project management software. This will help workers better keep track of what they need to get done, and thus allow them to better manipulate their scheduling.
Imagine if you worked in an office in which everyone became extremely stressed during the busy season. Then, your manager poorly handled the situation and did nothing but stoke the flames underneath them. This situation helps illustrate the fact that you quickly reach a point of diminishing returns if you’re being merciless toward your employees. People respond best to an empathetic modality and you will be rewarded with people that enjoy coming to work every day.
Less Absenteeism
With proper use of flexible scheduling, there is great potential in limiting absenteeism and thus loss of productivity. Instead of having someone out of work for a period of time, you or they can allocate their time in a way that ensures that the work still gets done. For example, if two employees are granted flexibility, they can work out amongst themselves how to fill in for each other when one needs to be out of the office.
Health Benefits
There is a trickle-down effect that comes from increased schedule flexibility. An improvement in scheduling flexibility leads to decreased stress, and decreased stress leads to a number of health benefits, including improved sleep. This spells higher energy levels, higher morale, and many other great things for the workplace. Improved health also often means less time required for recovery from an illness or injury.
In regard to improving the health of your staff, perhaps allow time to workout in the office gym or take a break in the lounge area. This can do wonders as far as breaking up the mind-numbing screen time that plagues society in most jobs. A break from the contorted posture in front of a computer ensures better physiology, and a fresh resumption to their work once they return.
Financial Benefits
As a result of increased health parameters, money is saved for the company over the long term. This means employers are then able to attract the cream of the crop of the employment pool. This will then cut down on turnover rates and training costs, which can devastate a company that fails to do this.
A quick turnover rate is a surefire sign that the company is not all that it could be. If employees are quick to leave time after time, it becomes less likely a mere coincidence and more likely that the pros and cons of the job simply do not add up to make staying worth it.
In many cases, there are aspects or duties of a job that is highly monotonous and draining to people, but which can now be relegated to automation. Something like a high-quality AP Automation software can be effective for a number of reasons, and can also allow valuable manpower to be reallocated to more engaging or dynamic duties.
Trust Building
Freedom in scheduling allows trust to flourish between employer and employee and instills a sense of loyalty. If you honestly believe that a worker is up to the task of handling their own schedule (and you should), then that they will reflect their sense of gratitude in a job well done. This way, the unspoken deal is preserved. They know that if they take advantage of the freedom or underperform in some way then it will only come back to bite them.
Take a Risk
In summary, you have many things to gain and little to lose when choosing schedule flexibility. With technological advancements and many workplaces effectively adopting work-at-home days, there has never been a better time to go forward with it. A rigid schedule is simply an obsolete way of doing things which cannot adapt to the demands of real life.
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