Flexible Work Options for Tech Employees

According to a 2014 survey of job seekers conducted by FlexJobs, an impressive 82 percent of respondents reported that they would be more loyal to employers who offered flexible work options. This scheduling alternative is particularly popular with tech employees, and is a priority for millennials who will soon make up the core of the workforce. If you’re not currently offering flexible work options, like work-from-home opportunities, elective scheduling, and extended maternity and paternity leave, you’re missing out on a significant opportunity to engage your workforce. These are some of the most common benefits that employers experience by making it easy for tech employees to work on their own terms:

Improve Employee Productivity

Workplace flexibility has a reputation for reducing productivity when in fact the exact opposite is true. When employees are empowered to work in a place that makes them comfortable, and work at times when they are most focused and motivated, they are able to accomplish significantly more than they would in strictly structured environments.

Enable New Opportunities for Collaboration

Given the nature of tech work it just makes sense that the most productive collaborations often happen in technologically based environments. Flexible work options give your team the space and flexibility to define their own workflows and contribute organically to each other’s efforts. Output is frequently faster and higher quality than what you would get by gathering everyone in a conference room.

Access New Customers/Clients

When your employees are only working 9-5 Monday through Friday, you have a relatively limited time frame in which to work with customers/clients. By building flexibility into your schedules, you can more easily access new markets and operate on a broader schedule. If technology is essential to your business, having employees poised and primed to respond at anytime proves to be a major asset.

Reduce Business Costs

The infrastructure necessary to support an on-site employee can be surprisingly expensive. You have to pay for a work space, tech equipment, a slip in the parking lot, a large break area, and possibly travel costs too. All those costs are reduced when employees spend less time in the office or work from home exclusively.

Improve Recruiting and Retention

Flexible work options contribute directly to a healthier work-life balance. Job seekers know this, which is why they are more eager to work for companies that offer this benefit. And once they get used to the flexibility, they stick with employers longer even if they are making a little less money. Many of the most common challenges of staffing can be alleviated simply by giving employees more control over their own schedules.

The benefits of flexible work options are clear, and the drawbacks are frequently exaggerated, assumed, and misstated. If you’re ready to transform the way you do things without creating a major disruption at your enterprise, this is a strategy that deserves your consideration. Learn more about effectively managing a workforce by working with the team at INSPYR Solutions.