Think about all the things that makes your workplace attractive to you and other people. Maybe you just really like your co-workers, and find your team a creative, interesting, productive bunch. Or maybe there’s an incredible fitness facility as well as a commitment to healthy living as part of your company ethos. Or perhaps there’s tuition reimbursement and a strong structure for you to move up and advance your career.
Whatever the reason, we all like our jobs for various reasons. And it’s a competitive job market, so there’s a good chance you might like a different job even more if it could put together a package to attract you. One of the benefits that more and more of us want in our work packages is flex time: We want to be able to work from home, even if it’s just a few days a week. We want to be able to set our own hours, as long as we get everything done we need to do and make every meeting that’s required of us. In short, we just want control of our time, as much as possible.
That kind of perk is especially attractive to some of the younger members of the workforce. And employers are realizing that flex time doesn’t equal people ducking out of the office and ignoring their work. What it means is that there’s reduced stress and improved retention. Translation: With flex time we end up liking our jobs more and staying at them longer.
Of course, not everyone wants flex time for the same reason. Some people feel that an office environment is too stressful. Some just don’t like meetings and want to reduce them if possible. Others find that there’s a big commute—and associated stress along with it. But if they’re not listened to in the hiring office in their quest for flex time, they’ll likely go somewhere else to obtain it. Here’s what you need to know about the reasons and rationale for flex time for your own workforce, and for yourself.
