How To Bring Flexibility To Your Workplace Beyond Work From Home

It’s time to get creative

It’s almost impossible to talk about work today without the topic of remote work entering the conversation. According to one study, 97% of employees would like to work remotely, at least some of the time, for the rest of their careers, and 86% want either fully remote or remote-first work environments. Some companies have even had to tweak or scrap their return-to-office plans for fear of losing talent. 
 

But remote work is not always possible in certain industries such as healthcare, construction, or education. Leaders at these organizations may feel incredibly stressed when they hear about the importance of retaining top talent through remote work and flexible benefits. However, flexibility does not solely equate to remote work. There are other options you can explore to make your employees feel just as cared for as the entirely remote startup down the street. 

Why Flexibility Is Important

In some industries, increased flexibility (including remote work) is possible but has not been implemented due to a dated culture. One of the few benefits of COVID-19 was the ushering of change in this arena. If your organization has the potential for remote work, it might be time to look at the very positive data around its benefits. 

For example, a recent survey by Global Workplace Analytics found that at AT&T, remote workers worked an average of five more hours than those in the office. Best Buy, British Telecom, and Dow Chemical reported that remote workers are 35-40% more productive.

Outside of increased productivity, remote work offers employers a broader talent pool to hire from. There are also cost savings for the employer such as reduced real estate, utilities, and supplies. Employees often report feeling empowered by working remotely. It allows them the time to handle personal obligations, invest in professional development, and even cut down on extraneous costs and commuting time.

Remote work isn’t an option in every industry, and some employees have even reported that they don’t enjoy remote work. Many individuals enjoy the social environment of the office, and others feel that remote work causes them to always be “on” even when the workday has ended. Organizations need to carefully examine their workforces to determine if remote work is really what people want, or if there are other unique paths. 

What Flexibility Means (Hint: It’s Not Just Remote Work)

Job Sharing

Job sharing is an underutilized option that allows great flexibility. As the name suggests, job sharing is when two individuals share the same role. Organizations have implemented this strategy with employees who are caring for a young child or elderly relative. The employees can either split the role equally or take certain responsibilities. This option allows two highly qualified employees to manage a role. Salary may be slightly lower as the role is split, but employees often report that they are open to it as other costs (like childcare, commuting, etc.) are heavily reduced. 

Flexible Scheduling 

Flexible scheduling allows employees to work outside of the traditional 9 to 5 Monday through Friday. This could mean that an employee works four longer days per week and has a three-day weekend or maybe starts their day early and leaves early to have time with their children after school. It can also mean having a choice in work shifts, unlimited time off, or opportunities for sabbaticals. 

A Benefits Boost

Organizations may have certain limits on how much flexibility they can offer due to the nature of their business, the security of highly confidential data, or the safety of workers. Even when there are limits to schedule flexibility, you can still create a positive culture by offering flexible and easy-to-use benefit programs. For example, Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSAs) are essentially non-salaried allowances that employees can use according to their personal preferences. Unlike Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), LSAs are fully funded by the employer and considered taxable income when spent. 

You can design programs to fit the unique needs of your workforce, which can include stipends for services that streamline home life after a long workday (like grocery delivery), lunch allowances for in-office workers, and mental health resources. A survey by PWC found that financial challenges contribute the most stress to employees' daily lives. A small additional financial contribution by the employer may reduce this stress, leading to a happier and more productive workforce. Employees have used their LSAs to help repay student debt, adopt a pet, make monthly charitable donations, take personal or professional development courses, cover the cost of extracurricular activities for children, offset childcare costs, and more.

It’s Time to Get Creative

The bottom line is that to win and retain talent today, all employers must get creative with the way they take care of their employees. There’s been a giant shift in the way we think about and approach what were long thought to be work norms. Instead of pretending they don’t exist, companies need to embrace those attitudes and search for out-of-the-box ways to bring flexibility to their workplace.

Author Bio

Jaclyn Chen is the Co-founder and CEO of Benepass, a leading next-generation mobile and web-based benefits administrator dedicated to making benefits flexible and delightful for companies and their employees Connect Jaclyn Chen