Flexible Working Hours Can Make a Big Difference
Employers with an eye for the health and wellbeing of their employees are always on the lookout for better ways to cater to their staff in order to reap the most benefits from their productivity and high morale. One of the more recent ways that businesses have started to shift old-style schedules is to change the working shifts themselves.
Many industries such as nursing or security already work on fixed schedules, but more new research is supporting the idea that some industries could benefit by offering flexible work hours to their employees.
Article: Workplace flexibility benefits employees
The wellbeing of your employees can greatly impact the overall success of the business itself. There are many different psychological and physical ailments on the line such as:
- Workplace Burnout
- Job Satisfaction
- Psychological Stress
Study: Does a Flexibility/Support Organisational Initiative Improve High-Tech Employees’ Well-Being? Evidence from the Work, Family, and Health Network
To combat many of these issues, more and more businesses are opting to try a more flexible working schedule. Still, there is a bias against this practice.
In particular, it seems like many in HR think that flexibility is only needed by workers who are parents, although the research shows that it helps all employees. An Australian survey looked at this from the gender angle, finding that men are twice as likely as women to have requests for flexible work hours rejected.
Article: Men twice as likely to have flexible work hours requests knocked back: study
And these studies only further confirm findings from previous research. For instance, anecdotal evidence has already shown that one of the biggest barriers to women advancing to high-ranking positions in the workplace is a lack of family-friendly policies when it comes to scheduling.
Article: The biggest problem with the workplace is the work
So where does that leave businesses? If we are to take into account the current research and findings as we’ve shown above (as well as the hundreds of additional studies not mentioned here), then it behooves us to adopt more flexible working schedules with the hopes of a ripple effect being felt throughout the company.
Employees of both genders can feel an improvement in overall wellbeing, as work schedules can impact not only our daily lives but also our happiness and health as well.
Are you interested in making changes to your workplace culture? It is sometimes difficult for the management team to see how to change organisational culture because they themselves may have been part of the corporate culture for a long time (a fish doesn’t notice that the water is wet!).
At HSG we specialise in creating the type of cultural change that focuses on valuing and empowering the organisation’s employees. We have expertise in accomplishing successful transitions and making shifts to all kinds of new, more productive attitudes. Click here to learn more about our organisational culture change services.