Gallup surveyed more than 5,700 US workers in industries such as manufacturing, transportation, health care, education, and services to understand what flexibility options their employers offer and what flexibility options will entice them to switch jobs. The commonly offered options (relaxed dress code, flexible start and end hours, choosing which days they work each week) are not what employees value most (added PTO, four-day work week, far or WFH options).
According to a Gallup survey in June 2022, almost half of US workers have jobs that require them to do on-site, in industries such as manufacturing, transportation, health care, education, and services. Many workers in these sectors would love the option to work from home but cannot. Yet they want flexibility and autonomy as well.
Gallup recently asked 150 CHROs at the world’s largest companies what types of flexibility they are considering for their employees in the workplace. They offer 11 options:
- Work remotely some of the time
- Work in multiple locations
- Four 10-hour work weeks
- Three 12-hour work weeks
- Flexible start and end times
- Choose which days they work each week
- Choose what time they work each day
- Flextime, or some choice of hours they work
- Short transfer lengths
- Additional paid time off (PTO) or vacation time
- Relaxed dress code
We then asked more than 5,700 US workers whether their organization offered these options. Their most common answers were a relaxed dress code (55%), followed by flexible starting and ending hours (33%), and choosing the hours they work (flextime) (31%).
We also asked employees which of these options they would change jobs to take. The two clear winners are not the organizations offered the most: more paid vacation time or vacation time (57%) and a four-day work week (44%).
While vacations and the four-day work week are the most popular flexibility options for employees, neither is a panacea. Employee engagement also important.
Vacations play an important role for organizations. Gallup FINDING that people with more vacation time — controlling for other factors, including income — reported higher well-being. but Gallup research It was also shown that people with more work and one week off reported 25% higher well-being than active workers with six or more weeks off.
the four day work week has gained a lot of attention in recent years. Gallup research found that among those with full on-site job responsibilities, those with a four-day work week reported lower absenteeism and higher overall well-being. This suggests that a four-day work week may offer advantages to those who do not have the option to work remotely. While it may not improve the likelihood that an employee will be engaged in their job or workplace, a four-day work week will reduce the chance that the job will be perceived as miserable, increasing the chances of advancement.
Combining Flexibility with On-Site Work
How can leaders ultimately decide which flexibility alternatives are best for employees in their organizations? One way is to involve employees in thinking about what realistic flexibility options might improve their overall lives and their team’s performance.
Perks and perks may successfully attract new employees, but they do not guarantee high engagement and productivity. It is often inspired by great managers who work closely with employees to set clear goals and priorities, provide frequent and meaningful continuous feedback, focus on employee development, and create high accountability culture. Flexibility without strong performance management will never work.
Regardless of whether the jobs are performed on-site or remotely, it is important that the work is individually productive, collaborative, has high value to customers, and improves the overall lives of employees. These outcomes are the ultimate measure of whether flexibility options work.
