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Flexible Working: A Win-Win for Employers and Employees

Flexible working refers to a work arrangement that allows you to work for however long, where, when, and/or what time you want, as opposed to your traditional 9 to 5 job. Flexible working can take many forms, from remote work to job sharing, and is highly adaptable to the individual.

But what advantages does flexible working have for both employers and employees? Let us find out now.

What Effect Does Flexible Work Have on the Workplace Culture?

Going To The Office Is Expensive

You can review your costs and realize significant savings by downsizing your real estate footprint by implementing flexible working. This will not only save you money on rent, but also on IT, furniture, and utilities. You can also save money by working with a flexible service provider that provides short-term flexible leases.

Having a flexible workplace is extremely beneficial to both the employer and the employee. One of the most rewarding aspects is having a welcoming environment at the workplace when employees return from remote work or working from home. Finding these types of offices is difficult for most businesses, and changing the environment should be the responsibility of the employer.

Depending on the location that would be best for your team, you can find these kinds of office spaces in New York, San Francisco, or Los Angeles.

According to an Owl Labs survey, employees who work in the office spend twice as much money on things like their commute and meals as those who work remotely. In an era of unprecedented inflation rates and price gouging, remote workers continue to demand competitive compensation. In fact, 57% of employees surveyed agreed that they should be paid the same regardless of where they work.

Flexible Working Has Advantages For Businesses

It is not enough for employees to want flexible working hours; companies must also see the business benefits. Fortunately, the evidence suggests that flexible work has a financial advantage over traditional work.

For one thing, remote workers are happier and thus more productive than their office-bound counterparts. Furthermore, flexible working can significantly increase company loyalty, resulting in lower staff turnover and easier recruitment. An openness to change broadens your talent pool. You can hire the best person for the job rather than simply hiring someone because they live in a convenient location. Technology has allowed many businesses to have access to many resumes of people beyond borders and to find the right people for the position they are looking to fill. A lot of businesses work with hiring professionals to go through this high number of resumes and find the right international employee.

Flexibility and telecommuting promote results-oriented work, which directly impacts productivity. Working from home can boost engagement, performance, and motivation while lowering overhead costs.

Productivity

Flexibility fosters creativity and, as a result, inspires employee productivity. Over the last year, employers discovered that flexible working (working from home) did not reduce productivity, and in fact, increased productivity in some cases. According to a CIPD survey, 71% of employers found that working from home either increased or had no effect on productivity.

Employee Retention and Morale

By offering flexible working options to your employees, you will gain company loyalty from employees who will be less likely to switch jobs. Employees have a wide range of personal responsibilities and allowing them the flexibility to maintain a good work/life balance will boost morale and attract new talent. Employers who provide flexible working arrangements have a significant advantage in the recruiting process and access to a larger talent pool.

Sometimes It’s Better To Work Alone

When working from home, employers feel more creative, focused, and capable of meeting deadlines. Workers, on the other hand, prefer that activities like meeting new people and team collaborations take place in person.

Set Precise, Smart Goals

Flexible working works best when you focus on goal completion rather than hours worked. This will save management time while producing tangible results.

As a result, employees and managers must collaborate on SMART objectives, and employees must be completely clear on what they are expected to do, how they are expected to do it, and when their objectives must be completed.

Conclusion

All of this shows that flexible work leads to better future outcomes for everyone. Employees get to define their own working model, fit it into their lives, and feel empowered as a result. Employers benefit from a happier, more loyal, and more productive workforce, and they distinguish themselves as job market leaders. Therefore switching to flexible working is an opportunity to effect long-term positive change for everyone.

About The Author

Freya is a Math teacher, Yoga enthusiast, and a beloved mother of three lovely daughters. She is always looking for ways to grow and help others around her thrive through self-learning, meditation, and physical fitness. When she is not teaching or spending time with her family, Freya regularly writes on topics related to self-improvement and women’s empowerment

5 Tips for Building a Rock-Solid Business Security System in 2022

The last couple of years were very hard and attiring. So much so that, in the wake of recent pandemic and economic turmoil, we almost forgot that security threats to our companies don’t take a vacation during the periods like these. On the contrary – after a slight drop during 2020, property and violent crimes were once again up in 2021.

Elsewhere in the digital world, cybercrimes increased 600% during the COVID-19 pandemic causing total damage of $6 trillion worldwide in 2021.

These threats are as real and present as it gets. Let us take look then at a couple of security essentials you can use to keep them at bay.

Make cybersecurity a part of the company culture

A vast majority of cybercrimes occur as a result of irresponsible online behavior. At a bare minimum, you should make sure that your employees are aware of these threats and know how to approach them correctly. So, consider organizing a couple of seminars and training sessions about cyber security and encourage responsible behavior through various perks and incentives. Put a special focus on password management since password policies make a cornerstone of modern online security.

Conduct data audit and classify digital properties

This will help you get a full grasp of the things you are dealing with here and focus your security efforts where they matter the most. Namely, although you should try to enforce a zero-trust policy toward any kind of threat, ranking digital assets according to their importance will help you create a more comprehensive security policy and provide better directions to your employees. Having a set of clear directions for each of these groups will also allow workers to engage in a more responsible behavior with critical assets.

Secure the physical premises

As we mentioned in the introduction, the number of property crimes is on the rise again and the only way to make sure your company is well protected is to give the same level of attention you are giving digital assets to the physical premises as well. First of all, you should consider installing secure flat top gates and then spread the motion sensors and motion-triggered alarms near all entry points. As for the cameras, even the dummies will discourage the criminals from attempting the burglary in the first place.

Back up files and develop a first response plan

This, of course, applies both to physical and digital documents. Both these groups need to be backed up and stored in some remote, secure location – preferably encrypted Cloud storage. Also, it is very important to have a fully developed first response plan that will outline what steps your employees need to take in the case of disaster, theft, or data breach. This way, even in the case of the worst-case scenario, your company will be able to quickly get back on its feet and continue with the operations.

Create a device security manager role

If you are concerned with the expenses, just think of the alternatives. Of course, all of your employees should be encouraged to take care of their devices and use them in a responsible manner. But, creating one centralized system that will monitor and take care of these issues and putting it under the charge of a single person will make all device security actions from troubleshooting to data recovery much faster, simpler, and more efficient. You can even go a step further and organize a cyber-security committee.

These few suggestions are far from a complete story but they should give you an excellent starting point for creating a fully developed security strategy that will take good care both of your online and physical business assets. The problems we experienced the last couple of years made us forget we are living in a very uncertain world where way too many people can try to take advantage of your company. It is in your best interest to do everything in your power to prevent that.

Woman Gets Sweet Revenge On The Boss Who Forced Her To Come To Work Sick

If you’ve ever had an unreasonably strict manager, you know how intimidating it can be to request even the simplest of things like, say, a day off because you’re violently ill with food poisoning. A good manager would understand and encourage you to stay home.

Unfortunately, this was not the case for a woman working in the UK who was forced to come in despite her sickness, but she did get the best possible revenge and people are loving her story.

Redditor SarahfromEngland was recently forced to go into work after calling in sick with a violent bout of food poisoning.

Fortunately, she had karma on her side…and lots of vomiting.

Needless to say, people were loving the tale of sweet karma.

And some even shared their own stories.

Safe to say, it’s probably best to just stay home.

Helping Employees Maintain A Healthy Work/Life Balance

When you own a business, you take on the responsibility of employing people and keeping your employees happy. One of the core keys to success is prioritizing your employee’s happiness. They hold the power to make or break your business, and if they are happy, then you will see a positive impact on your business.

Helping your employees find the perfect work/life balance will help you with employee retention. One major aspect of owning a business that you must understand is that your employees can still be passionate about their jobs while having other responsibilities. Offering rewards and incentives such as glass awards plaques can help create incentives and drive to further employee goals and business initiatives. And when they have children, this will come above anything else, for example.

Making their lives easier and helping them out in different situations will be massively appreciated and will help everything to run smoothly.

Here are some of the simple ways that you can help your employees manage their time…

Organize Staff Socials Events

One of the best ways to boost employee morale and help workers get to know each other in a non-stressful environment is by offering an occasional company outing. This type of outing can be as low-key or as extravagant as you like, depending on your company’s culture and budget for such things. A simple lunch date or drink after work can make a difference.

Be a Good Model

No one likes a hypocrite, so make sure that your words and actions are in line. Let you employees lead by your example. If managers in your company are responding to emails while on vacation, it sends a message to employees that they are expected to do so as well.

Be sure to respect the balance and privacy of your employees and avoid contacting them after normal work hours unless it is an absolute emergency.

Open a Line of Communication

Communication is key in any situation, without communication, operations can become unorganized, and disconnected and people can become unhappy relatively quickly. Discussing personal life in work can feel difficult, but it is important to provide your employees with the opportunity to talk about their feelings at work.

Conducting regular reviews with all employees can have a really positive impact on your working environment. Whether they are struggling to find childcare, having problems in their home life, are trying to conceive, or are considering becoming a foster career – you will need to communicate with your staff so that you know what they are going through. It’s important to offer a level of support and try to assist in their work-life balance.

Childcare

Many small companies are unable to provide childcare facilities, which is completely understandable. But there are several different ways that you can provide easier access to childcare for your employees.

You could, for example, provide your employees who are parents with vouchers for childcare as part of your salary package – this will not only be appreciated, but it will also be attractive to potential employees. Whether they have children of their own, foster a child, or have a responsibility to look after a family member’s child, you should take everything into account. Caring for a child in a massive toll, and could easily affect your employee’s work if you don’t offer them support.

A lot of people consider the bonus package as well as the salary when accepting a job offer, so it is important to cater to the individual if you want to increase employee acquisition.

Flexible working

Flexible work hours can take a number of forms, from reducing the working hours of a parent (if requested), to allowing them to work from home or part-time. As well as this, you could also allow them to start and finish outside of the normal working day, so working 10 – 6 one day, and 8-4 the next, for example.

This will ensure that the work is still getting completed, but also show that you are understanding of your employee’s situation and are willing to help them.