WORK OUT OF HOURS

  Are you ready to say goodbye to the 9 to 5? Research from Office Angels, suggests the working world of 2036 will be without standard office hours with work evolving to offer night work, job shares and a myriad of other ways to break up the working day and get tasks done in a flexible manner. 

The study, carried out among employees predicts dramatic changes in the workplace. Over the next 25 years almost two thirds of employees believe that working hours will become more flexible with 53 per cent predicting that standard working hours will disappear altogether. Almost three quarters (71 per cent) of workers believe that an increasing number of people will work from home thanks to new technologies such as cloud computing, smart phones and video conferencing. The survey also shows that workers expect job shares and multiple careers to be commonplace by 2036.  

  “Standard working hours are already dying out, with many employers expecting staff to be ‘online’ and available outside of standard office hours,” said David Clubb, managing director of Office Angels. “At the same time, there is a huge push amongst many employees for better work-life balance. It’s a very fine balance but what this survey tells us is that there is a real appetite for more flexible ways of working. Rather than seeing this as a nuisance or threat, employers need to consider the benefits of flexible working, such as reduced fixed costs, increased goodwill amongst existing staff and the widening of the talent pool from which the organisation can attract candidates.”

Certainly grabbing these opportunities by the horns in a positive way will be a challenge for all employers, keen to create around the clock services and productivity on the one hand while ensuring employee engagement on the other. Indeed, does the dismantling of office hours and specific job locations place the idea of employee loyalty under threat, if not under need of redefinition? Written contracts may become difficult to pin down – although a switch to managing by output rather than time spent on a job would seem a good first step – but even more challenging will be the ‘unwritten’ contract between employer and employee, the company culture that inspires, attracts and retains employees.

Global markets may spell irregular hours for some workers, but it could also bring new flexibility in working hours which would have significant advantages for those intending to balance family responsibilities with those of their job. At the same time, however, 35 per cent of workers predict that an ‘always on’ working culture will lead to increased levels of stress, longer working hours and constant accessibility.

“There are obvious challenges to implementing a successful flexible working policy and culture within an organisation,” said Clubb. “It requires very careful planning and investment to ensure that staff have the right technology and tools to work remotely. We are advising forward thinking companies to recognise that flexible working is the future and that businesses need to define and implement their strategies now in order to retain and attract the very best talent.”

Office Angels suggests the following five steps to prepare businesses for the future of flexible working:

1. Identify and define a clear process for flexible working that compliments the company’s culture and aligns with its technical capabilities – laptops, mobile phones, shared drives etc

2.  Raise awareness amongst employees by investing in ongoing communication

3.  Ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined between employees, managers and the HR departmen

4.  Identify any areas within the company that need attention before flexible working can be successfully implemented

5. Implement a trial period to help identify and address any potential problems.