The Long Stretch – The Workplace Flexibility 2017 Charter

What began to trickle a decade ago is a roaring stream now, and it doesn’t seem to stop. Employment Flexibility is synonymous with Employee Retention today. 

Remote employment, telecommuting, work from home, flexible workplace, co-working…phew!! Employment isn’t just workstations any more, are they! HR giant ADP recently conducted a survey that stated what every CHRO has probably guessed all along: Millennials, and the new age workforce, consider flexibility in their employment as the third biggest factor when evaluating prospective employment opportunities. 

 SO, WHAT COMPRISES FLEXIBILITY in 2017? 

Workplace flexibility isn’t limited to the 40-hour work week anymore. Greater engagement and multi-device communication platforms have redefined engagement and employees are on the clock for around 47-hour work weeks, according to a 2014 Gallup poll.  

Maintaining this level of engagement is precisely where flexibility plays its part. Globally, employers led by progressive HR leaders, have accepted working from home programs for their employees to the point that it has gone mainstream now. Extended work hours have proven to be less of an aberration when the employee is working in their own surroundings, and not being a ‘slave to the desk’. 

 BUT IT DOESN’T END THERE 

Flexibility isn’t just time and location, in the modern workplace. Organizations are rapidly enhancing the ease at the workplace too, with several benefits and perks taking up major roles. HR leaders who understand the importance of workplace ease are sprucing up the office environment with casual dress codes, pet-friendly policies, maternity AND paternity leave policies, and a whole lot more. 

Flexibility has turned the tables on the old but flawed “more hours is more work” era. Innovations such as the ones outlined here have proven that employees perform better, stay longer, and are more engaged with policies that allow them to enjoy freedom responsibly. This is a trend to watch out for, as CHROs across the world realize the importance of workplace flexibility for the new age workforce.