As businesses continue to adopt flexible work policies, it makes sense that other areas, such as paid time off, would also become more flexible. As the Wilmington-based business Sovos Compliance LLC found, offering its workers flexible time off has given the company (and its workers) greater benefits.
If your company is already offering flexible work options, consider giving them more control over their time off, too. As you’ll see from the reasons below, it’s just good business.
Here are some reasons why letting employees have more control over their time off is a good idea:
It gives them necessary control.
When an employee needs time off, it can be difficult to know exactly how long they’ll need to be out of the office. Maybe it’ll be a few days to recover from a medical procedure, or a week to care for an aging parent who needs help. But what if the situation is more dire? For many workers, draining all of their PTO at once means that they can’t take any days off the rest of the year, even if they get sick. This can create unnecessary stress—and a stressed-out workforce is not an employer’s ally. But with flexible work options (and flexible time off, too), employees can continue to work their jobs without being worried whether or not they have enough days to cover emergencies that might arise.
Discover a better way to recruit remote talent
Founded in 2007, FlexJobs is the most experienced remote & hybrid hiring platform.
- Unlimited job posts
- Low, flat membership fee
- Access top-level remote advice
- Unlimited resume searches
- Reach the right candidates
- And so much more!
It reduces “presenteeism.”
There’s nothing worse for an employer than to have an office full of seat warmers. Commonly known as presenteeism, it means much what this name connotes—workers who are in the office in body, but not in mind. Thing is, presenteeism is a problem for companies, since it can be 10 times more costly to have underperforming employees in the office than those who call in sick. Workers who need flexibility in their time off can actually save companies money, therefore, by not coming into the office and doing nothing.
It aids in workers’ well-being.
No matter what industry you’re in, what products or services you offer, or whether you have a remote workforce or not, the goal of every company should be the health and happiness of its employees. So it makes sense that having a flexible PTO means that your workers won’t have to stress about taking time off (i.e., not taking time off when they really need to, or squirreling it all away and then not using it). For employees, having that knowledge that they can take time off when they need to can be a saving grace and help improve employee morale.
It improves productivity.
Imagine that you have a worker who is recovering from surgery and for whom getting to and from the office is difficult. Rather than risk using up her PTO, she treks into the office—when she really should focus on her recovery. What is the likelihood that your worker is performing at her peak? Not great. It’s important to let your workers take the time they need for their PTO, whether it’s to heal, bond with their newborn babies, or handle a difficult life circumstance. Chances are, if you have a flexible PTO policy, those workers will be even more productive upon their return to the office, because they will be grateful that the company supported them during a difficult time.
It increases employee loyalty.
Studies have shown that employees who have work-life balance tend to be more loyal to the companies they work for. Factor in flexible paid time off, and you’re allowing your workers complete control over how they can use their days. Not only will your employees feel more secure in their positions (and not fearing that their jobs won’t be there when they do return to work), they’ll also feel more gratitude towards the company that supports them on a professional and personal level.
Photo Credit: bigstockphoto.com
Don't forget to share this article with colleagues!
