As a business with a diverse workforce spread across several countries, a flexible approach to employment has become essential to our company’s growth. We’ve pulled in the right expertise from the right places. It is an arrangement that helps us manage resources, and allows the team to manage their work-life commitments and balance.
And there’s plenty of proof that it works. A study by Airtasker found that remote workers actually are more focused and probably work 1.4 more days per month than office workers.
In a similar UK trial involving 61 companies, 92% kept the 4-day workweek after the experiment because productivity stayed the same or improved.
Global team, local laws
To navigate this as an international business can be tricky however, as there are different cultural approaches and of course different local laws. Much of our work is based in the US, where there’s no legal requirement for employers to provide flexible working arrangements, although there are a handful of tech firms that have pioneered models like results-only work environments (ROWE).
Conversely, on the other side of the pond, the UKs Flexible Working (Amendment) Regulations 2023 enforce the legal right to request flexible working from day one of employment – including full-time, part-time, and agency workers.
Work by design
So, what is the key to getting it right? One thing is for sure – we can’t go backwards and retrofit flexible working into old, pre-COVID practices. It is about starting afresh and not forcing one-size-fits-all approaches.
The UKs Flexible Working Day last week (21st June) was themed around #FlexibilityByDesign, with a Flexible Working Manifesto which means designing work that fits for the future. LEGO is already ahead by encouraging “design your day” so employees can ‘build’ their own ideal workday.
Gen Z’s new work rules
To best design working patterns for the future, we have to look at the generation of future workers navigating entering the world of work and the opportunities, or lack thereof.
As we we reach the close of the current school and college year, these are the young people for who flexibility and work-life integration will be non-negotiable. 4 in 5 Gen Z workers say they’d quit a job without work-life balance.
In part due to an unstable global labour market, job security is often sought through diversification, not traditional full-time employment. Portfolio careers – whereby people will often pursue several different careers at one time – are a Gen Z trend, which is also now filtering up to older generations, who are also suffering from more scarce employment and recognising that a job for life is no longer a guarantee.
Ultimately, as the global workforce evolves, the most forward-thinking businesses are those that will proactively create systems that support autonomy and reimagine what a balanced working day looks like. And they do this in full collaboration with their team so they get it right and so everyone gets a say. At the end of the day, we know that businesses will always thrive when they have a happy team and that should be the guide for the future.
