Introduction
It can be hard to source top talent, but there’s one easy way to appeal to candidates: flexible work schedules. Adding flexible work schedules to your talent attraction strategy can prove highly successful in today’s job market. Pay and role fit remain essential, but the rise of remote work has elevated flexibility from a nice-to-have perk to a must-have expectation, according to a new Qualtrics report. Some value flexibility even more highly than salary. Therefore, as you begin the hiring process for an open position, it is critical to present work-life balance and general flexibility at your company in a positive light. Otherwise, you may risk losing valuable, top-talent candidates.
Logistics of Offering Flexible Work Schedules
Flexibility has two components: logistics and culture. Let’s start with logistics. Do you assume that someone’s time in their chair at work reflects their productivity? Flex work allows employees to work during the hours they are most productive, resulting in increased output, reduced turnover, superior project outcomes, and happier employees!
Asking for flexibility doesn’t mean that young people aren’t willing to work standard 40-hour work weeks. In actuality, it simply means giving your employees the freedom to structure their workdays. For example, perhaps someone wants to begin working an hour earlier than usual to leave an hour earlier for a medical appointment. Flexibility can be a key measure in your talent attraction strategy, and the benefits it offers speak for themselves. You can decide what kind of flexibility you want to offer, but here are some common examples of choices your employees can make:
- Work Location (home, office, coworking space, etc.)
- Work Hours
- Daily Schedule
Maybe your company can’t offer total freedom, but you would be surprised how easy it is to provide some level of flexibility! For instance, you could set core hours that everyone must work but allow employees to make their own schedules outside of those hours. Core hours create an inclusive environment towards different work styles and life circumstances, allowing your employees to develop a non-linear work day that best suits their personal and professional needs.
Fostering a Positive, Flexible Work Culture
The second consideration your company must make is culture. You need to give employees the tools to structure their workload, but you also need to encourage them to do so. It is important to consider flexibility concerning your current employees, not just within your talent attraction strategy.
We’ve written before about the importance of branding your company by highlighting its values. Showing your employees that you trust them to complete their work in a thoughtful and timely manner helps build a solid foundation at your workplace.
Having a flexible work environment only works if you encourage employees to take advantage of creating their own schedules. Otherwise, you risk creating a frustrating atmosphere where workers feel nervous or uncomfortable asking for flexible accommodations. According to FlexJobs, 63% of currently employed people ranked Flexible Scheduling as one of the most important benefits their job could offer.
Looking for a job opportunity that values flexibility and work-life balance? Browse our open positions here.
How Can My Team Adjust?
Solid leadership is key to flexible work environments. Here are a few things your team’s leader can do to keep work steady and avoid chaos.
- Continue to enforce strict deadlines. Just let workers decide when and how to get things done.
- Hold periodic check-ins. This ensures that employees understand their assignments and have the help and resources they need. It can also be helpful to develop standard metrics to evaluate employee performance.
- Implement technology. Popular programs like Slack and Microsoft Teams help teams stay in constant communication. Using the Cloud to store collaborative materials is an easy way to continue working together on important content.
- Don’t abandon in-person meetings altogether. Time in person- whether it’s professional meetings or bonding activities- is important to build trust and communication among employees.
Conclusion
Creating a flexible work environment is key to attracting new talent- especially younger workers. Showing employees that you value their work-life balance will build morale and loyalty.
If you need more help with recruiting, Lucas James is an alternative to the conventional contingent recruiting model. We strive to hire qualified talent acquisition professionals to represent ourselves and our clients. At Lucas James, we offer industry-leading sourcing & selection practices and technology.
Learn more at https://lucasjamestalent.com/
This article was originally published on Oct. 6, 2021; it has since been updated to reflect November 10, 2022.