At this point, we all know that flexible working hours became all the rage directly after the lockdown in 2020. This is mainly because workers loved the better mix between work and personal life that remote work offered. As a result, open work hours became a major attraction for top workers, with some saying it matters more than salary. A 2023 study by The Conference Board found that 65% of people said having flexibility at work is the most important factor when choosing a new job, more important than bonuses and extra pay.
Is that still true?
Are flexible working arrangements hours still popular as we approach 2025, or has that changed?
Employers and workers have very different opinions about flexible work options.
In short, workers enjoy working from home, but employers are getting tired of it.
Employees enjoy the freedom that comes with flexible work, while managers wish for the time when they had full control over on-site work. In 2024, 90% of companies ordered their workers back to the office, which caused a lot of anger among employees. The University of Pittsburgh’s research indicates that the level of job satisfaction decreased enormously for 99% of the ordered-back-to-the-office companies. Thus, it is extremely easy to conclude that the scenario which pleases everybody, be it the employers or the workers, has to be worked out in the form of a compromise.
How do you do that?
Keep an eye out for the best and latest ways to set up flexible working hours at your workplace.
What is an open work schedule?
Previously, it was the aspect of a flexible work schedule monitoring by using Controlio wherein the workers could themselves create their hours or time frame for work. Flextime is replacing the conventionality of 9-to-5 work hours to 4-day work weeks, part-time hours, online work, varying schedules, etc.
It can also let employees choose to finish work hours on-site or remotely.
Flexible working hours don’t always mean you work less.
Sometimes, online workers who choose their own hours end up working more than regular employees.
As per the Gartner study based upon 10,000 respondents in the US and Europe, the flexible working hours are the main reason why remote workers feel more productive now compared to before the pandemic hit. This flexible work time and place is a great driving factor. A hybrid workplace.
Several researches have shown that flexible working hours make employees more satisfied and productive, thus benefiting the business.
Flexible working hours do have their numerous disadvantages, but if well implemented, they have a large number of advantages.
Workers enjoy the freedom to choose the time that they would want to work. This is good for their mental well-being and can help prevent stress.
What are the difficulties of having open working hours?
Flexible schedules can be challenging for employers, not just because some workers are not in the office.
The main difficulties of compressed workweeks and flexible schedules are:
Managing team members in various time zones. Telework is especially tough if you hold regular meetings with your team, as scheduling can quickly become a nightmare. Apps like Zoom help faraway workers talk to each other, but time zone differences can make things difficult. It’s tough to get your team on the same page when they live and work in different time zones.
Finding the right flexible working type for your business. Today, there are so many flexible work plans that choosing one can be difficult. The situation is made more complicated because some companies have different flexible plans that help them.
Finding the right model for you will require a lot of work and trying different options. This could take time and cost money. Make sure your team records their hours accurately. Your full-time employees still must record their hours when telecommuting; it is inconvenient. Since you cannot drop by their desk and see what they are doing, you will never know what she is working on at any time. If a worker forgets to record her hours, it’s hard to know how many hours she worked on any given shift, which results in problems over payment.
These genuine challenges cause many employers to give RTO (return to office) mandates to avoid them.
There are answers to each of these problems, which are:
Use messages that don’t need an immediate reply to handle time zone differences. If some team members are in difficult time zones, use messages that don’t need an immediate response, like pre-recorded videos or detailed emails, to keep them informed.
Identify what you need and look into different casual work options. If you first identify your needs, you should be able to find a flexible work plan that fits your organization well. Look at our list of flexible options below to find one that suits you.
Use remote tracking software to keep an eye on your team’s work. There are many options for software that tracks online employees. These apps make it easy to manage your remote team’s work hours, which is a big advantage.
