Following two years of dealing with a pandemic that could have killed them, a lot of individuals began to doubt their beliefs and purpose. Millions of people appear to have been compelled by the pandemic to abandon their comfort zones and start over.
This change in mindset had an impact on the business sector, as workers significantly quit their unsatisfying positions and joined the Great Resignation Wave in search of more flexible and encouraging work conditions. Mostly, it is due to the fact that the rate of adoption of telecommuting increases because of the demand for flexibility in work hours. It’s almost unlikely that employees in any other part of the world would wish to go back to traditional working if they’ve enjoyed the opportunity to pick what time and place to work.
What’s Said by the Numbers?
Data pertaining to remote work supports this assertion. 54% of employees desire to work from home, according to the data, and 83% of business owners said that switching to remote work helped their company grow.
Numerous employee retention surveys were impacted by the freedom to choose the time and location of work. The results revealed that 76% of employees would stay in their current position if they could work flexibly, while a startling 80% of candidates would decline a job offer if it didn’t offer such flexibility.
The conventional 9–5 workday may soon come to an end, according to all of these results.
In the post-Covid age, workers typically work asynchronously and independently to finish tasks. And in the competitive, competitive market, this is one of the standout features of the completely digitized remote offices that will draw in more talent. Therefore, give up on the 9–5 weekday if you want to have a competitive edge in luring top people in the Great Resignation period. Instead, offer flexible work hours.
Does Belief Require Seeing?
Supporters of traditional office-based work with set hours worry that when employees work remotely on flexible schedules, they won’t be able to monitor their performance. But, Harvard Business School professor Tsedal Neeley asserts that you don’t have to watch over your staff members’ heads to make sure they’re operating in digital environments.
Sophisticated platforms for communication and project management, along with software for employee monitoring such as Controlio, can help you get rid of misunderstandings, simplify your company’s operations, and increase output and time management. Because of this, she thinks that companies should reconsider the 9–5 workday, embrace asynchronous work, and respond swiftly to worker requests.
How Can the Perspective Be Changed?
Make careful to set an example for your team, department, or organization when you decide to transition to asynchronous work. You can demonstrate to your staff that you are dedicated to the change by taking this action.
An excellent illustration of a leadership endeavor pertaining to job flexibility is the S.T.A.R. (Support. Transform. Achieve. Results.) experiment. By giving workers the flexibility to select when, where, and how they wish to work, this initiative aims to benefit both the business and the employees. Within six months, positive outcomes were evident. Employee retention and satisfaction ratings rose as the risk of burnout decreased. The productivity of the team as a whole remained unaffected.
Regretfully, the management of the IT company where this experiment was carried out was changed. Despite having a favorable impact on employee engagement and productivity, the S.T.A.R. The experiment was stopped because the new management was in favor of typical 9–5 work hours.
Last Remarks
Together with the irreversible shift in how people view life’s purpose and values, the corporate world has also undergone change. Employees today desire flexible, encouraging, and inclusive work settings. In order to outperform your rivals in the recruitment of exceptional personnel, consider providing your staff with remote work options, flexible schedules, and chances for both career and personal development.