Member Article

Flex your working

Employees working from home has grown by 800,000 over the last 10 years according to the Office of National Statistics.

That’s over four million employees last year worked from home and whilst this may not be a suitable option for every employee in every business there are many ways that businesses can offer flexible working which will pay dividends.

Interestingly I think there is a common assumption that part time or remote working tends to be low paid, low skilled work but Indeed has released data to show that over half of the top 50 keywords associated with searches for flexible work are related to high-skilled jobs—and not only that, but many of these are in the tech and healthcare fields where talent is scarce.

Advances in technology make it easier for workers to remain connected across locations and as a result more and more of them are losing interest in the 9-5 model.

Employees want their own schedules, to be able to organise their own priorities and get the work done on their own terms.

Life work balance. It allows employees to fit in other commitments and activities around their work which in turn will allow for better staff morale and job satisfaction. If you have a flexible policy you can go to parent/teacher conference take a yoga class or be home when the repair man comes.

Greater continuity. Staff who may have left might decide to think differently if there is flexibility in the workplace. Most who have this will remain loyal to a company who looks after them. This benefits the business as you will have more retention of experienced staff who can offer a better overall service. A flexible working policy makes the employer a much more attractive business to work with and therefore attracting a higher level of skills and diverse workforce.

Other benefits include a more efficient and productive organisation; a more empowered and motivated workforce; better customer service and reduced levels of sickness absence, and working hours that best suit your employees and customers.

Here at Business Central Darlington we understand that businesses look for flexible work space solutions and that is why we have our Open Space Business Lounge in two prime locations; the centre of Darlington and at the North East BIC Sunderland.

Designed for people on the move, benefiting from superb broadband connectivity, comfortable surroundings and dual membership, our Open Space locations offer a consistently high standard of service – which of course includes great free coffee!

To arrange a site visit or to find a membership package to suit your needs simply contact our space team at either our Darlington or Sunderland office and we will be happy to help. Call 01325 526 006 or 0191 516 6200

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Vanessa Wood .