New Data Proves Flexible Work Really Works: 7 Factors For Success

The debate about where work happens has been extraordinarily misdirected—with the media perpetuating a false contradiction about whether work should happen all remote or all in the office. While some organizations are expecting these models, in reality, the best learning from the last few years has been about the power of hybrid work—and the benefits of work which can occur both at home and at the office.

Thinking of when, where and how work happens, the most positive future is a world of both-and, rather than either-or—where people have more choice and control over their schedules and their working approaches. And new data proves positive links between flexibility and all kinds of benefits.

Flexible Work Is The Future (And the Future is Here)

Majorities of people are reporting they have significant choices about where they work. Currently 55% of knowledge workers can choose between working from home or working from the office on a given day, and 51% can choose to live in an area other than where their office is located, according to a new study by Atlassian.

In addition, the data shows 43% of knowledge workers are working in a hybrid manner, spending some time in the office and some time working remote, This frequency of hybrid work is up from 27% in 2021. In addition, since 2021, all-remote work is down from 34% of people to 22% and office-only work is up from 35% of people to 39%.

Demands for Flexible Work

It makes sense that companies are providing more flexibility, because it’s in high demand. All the generations expect flexibility in working options, according to a study by LiveCareer. Specifically, 76% of Millennials, 69% of Gen Z and 64% of Gen X express this expectation. In addition, when respondents were asked about the benefits which were most important, 38% of Millennials, 33% of Gen X and 32% of Gen Z identified flexible working benefits as most important.

Interestingly, people’s priority for flexible work has been reduced in comparison with other issues, according to a new study of 13,488 people across 15 countries by BCW. In particular, employees’ top concerns now are job security, stable employment, workplace and culture. But the desire for hybrid and remote work are still on their list of priorities, especially among workers who are already working with these degrees of flexibility.

The Impact of Flexibility

Perhaps most exciting is the data about how flexible work is affecting people and companies. The results within the Atlassian study are significant:

• Innovation: When they have flexibility in working options, 71% report their team is innovative, compared with 57% without flexibility.
• Organizational Culture: With flexibility, 83% have a positive outlook on their organization’s culture compared with 47% of those without flexibility.
• Imposter Syndrome: With flexibility, 30% exhibit symptoms of imposter syndrome, compared with 42% of those without flexibility.
• Burnout: When people have flexibility, only 14% report burnout symptoms, compared to 36% who have no flexibility.

Since 2021, team health has also improved. In 2021, 29% reported unhealthy teams, but in 2022 with greater numbers of people saying they have flexible work options, only 5% of teams are unhealthy.

One of the most powerful aspects of flexible work is the way it meets people’s fundamental needs for control—and to be treated like a grown up. When people had high stress jobs, it was the level of control they had which made all the difference in their health and even their mortality, according to studies by Indiana University. And when people had more control over intrusions of work during non-working hours, stress and health levels were positively impacted, according to reserach at the University of Illinois.

The important take-away message: Flexible work really works for people, and for organizations.

Factors for Success with Flexible Work

Flexible work is worth doing, so when you’re seeking to enhance the flexibility of work within your organization, consider the following factors.

#1 – Equity

Different jobs require varying amounts of face-to-face interaction, and this sets up the conditions for inequity. Be sure to set overall principles for how you’ll manage options for flexibility. In addition, provide plenty of transparency and clarity about why some jobs require more face-to-face presence than others—for example, involving the need for hands-on experimentation in labs, interaction with customers or co-creation with teams.

Also ensure you’re fostering presence equity by inviting input from remote participants in meetings and ensuring mentorship, development and career advancement opportunities are available to all, regardless of working location.

#2 – Creativity

Stretch your thinking and be as creative as possible in giving people more flexibility more of the time. Perhaps a receptionist has to be present to greet guests the majority of the day, but they can share responsibilities across the team—allowing a few hours a day when other members are customer-facing and they can work from home on non-customer-facing tasks. Also consider flexibility not only in where people are working, but also in terms of when or on which projects they choose to work.

#3 – Intention

Another key to success with flexible work is intentionality. Be planful about when people need to be in the office for teams to solve problems for generate new solutions face-to-face, rather than assuming they must be in the office every day. Empower people to consider how and where they work best and which tasks they can best accomplish remote versus in the office. Encourage teams to adopt new norms for sharing schedule information so people can make the commute when others will be in the office as well.

#4 – Leadership

Develop and educate leaders about how to lead from a distance and how to engage and inspire people in this new landscape of work. Build leaders’ skills in communicating with clarity, being accessible from a distance, setting expectations and managing for results. While these may seem like tried-and-true leadership capabilities, many leaders desire and need development in these areas.

#5 – Balance and Boundaries

Sometimes remote work can result in people who struggle to set boundaries. When work goes home, it can be hard to turn off. Or if people aren’t required to be in the office, they may push themselves to work all the time—even if they’re feeling sick. Be sure people are empowered to turn off and take off appropriately.

#6 – Guardrails

Many companies have been cautious about setting guidelines about how much and when people should be back in the office. But clarity on these things can actually relieve the pressure for people to remake their schedules week-after-week. It can be helpful for leaders to agree their teams will be in the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, for example, so people know what to count on. Companies should continue to provide flexibility, of course, but guardrails can empower people by providing clarity on what’s expected and where choice is possible.

#7 – Great Places

Work has changed so workplaces should as well. Test and pilot new spaces and give people a voice in how well they’re meeting new needs. Provide plenty of variety to do all kinds of work—from focusing and collaborating to learning, socializing and rejuvenating. Ensure people have the cultural permission to work throughout the space, not just at their workstation. And create neighborhoods where employees can find their people and have a place to call their own.

Making An Impact

With all the difficulties of the pandemic, one of the bright spots is how much people and companies have learned about work and how it happens. Globally, the demands for flexibility in work have expanded—and the positive impacts of flexible work are encouraging. The future of work is certainly flexible, and it is here.