Since 2013, FlexJobs has surveyed workers to find out what matters most to them professionally and why they want flexible work. This year, we surveyed more than 8,000 professionals and found that many desire a flexible job to help them reduce stress, improve their health, and have a better quality of life.
A deeper dive into the data reveals how offering flexible work can improve staff retention and inspire loyalty, which could lead to long-term growth and success for your company.
Employees Want Flexible Work
Our annual survey has consistently found that the top four reasons people want flexible work are:
- Better work-life balance
- To have more time with family
- To save time
- Less commute stress
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This year, our survey discovered that people also want a flexible job to help save money (38%) and to avoid office politics and distractions (37%).
Interestingly, flexible work is the number three most important “perk” workers look for and analyze when evaluating a job offer (72%), compared to salary (76%) and work-life balance (73%). Flexible work is also more important than:
- Health insurance (39%)
- Vacation time (34%)
- Retirement benefits (28%)
Why Flexible Work Should Matter to Employers
While it’s clear that flexible work matters to employees, it should also matter to employers, and not just because potential new hires consider it while looking at job offers.
Year after year, professionals responding to our survey have said that they would be more loyal to their employer if they offered flexible work. This year was no different, with 79% of respondents saying the same.
Offering employees workplace flexibility can do more than inspire loyalty, though. While 60% of professionals have left or have considered leaving a job due to the lack of flexibility, nearly one out of three workers (29%) said they would take a 10% to 20% pay cut if their employer let them work at home.
Though employers may worry that flexible work options like remote work may mean a drop in productivity, a whopping 96% of respondents state that they feel they would be as or even more productive working at home than in the office. Almost half (47%) feel they could get more work done with fewer interruptions from colleagues, 16% would be less stressed from commuting, and 9% would be more productive by avoiding office politics.
The Pandemic Experiment
If there’s a silver lining to the pandemic, it’s that the world’s largest (and ongoing) work-from-home experiment has given employers some valuable insights on just how important flexible work is to employees and how productive employees can be working remotely.
For example, the survey found that employees feel they really are more productive in spite of the unusual circumstances. For 46%, this productivity has come from having more control over their workspace, and for 47%, it comes in the form of fewer interruptions from coworkers.
And while only 24% of respondents are happier having fewer meetings during the day, nearly 45% say that’s allowed them to have more focused time to do “deep work,” leading to 37% more productivity.
Our survey was conducted during the summer when school reopening plans were still unclear for many. Nearly 20% of respondents said that they had already reduced their work hours due to the pandemic. And over half (52%) said that flexible work would have the biggest impact in helping them manage the demands of a career and online school.
The Employer Benefits of Flexible Work
Our survey shows that whether or not you’ve made a change in your flexible work policy, to stay competitive in the future, it’s important to think about adding flexible work options. Consider that 64% of professionals said that when the pandemic ends, they would prefer to work remotely full-time.
This alone might be reason enough to allow some work-from-home options for your staff. But with 27% of respondents considering relocating, allowing full-time remote work would enable you to retain your top talent, leading to cost-savings and a top-tier staff in the long run.
As leaders in the remote work space, we’re here to advise and consult with all types of companies about how to make flexible work a part of your company. Get in touch with us today!
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