2017 could be a big year for workplace flexibility
Jessi Berrin spends most days away from her desk at Baptist Health South Florida’s corporate offices in Miami, driving to events, sending email from the road and making her own schedule.
Berrin, 32, sees 2017 as the year when her generation gets more of what they want in the workplace: “The traditional 9 to 5 is not at all appealing to millennials. We want to work for employers who meet us where we are.”
Workplace flexibility used to be a benefit afforded to working mothers. These days, flexibility is more about leaving work early to get to a fitness class and finishing up at night or working from home in the morning to avoid rush hour.
With a tightening labor force and an increased desire for work-life balance, 2017 is poised to be the year when the workplace trend gains traction.
FlexJobs, a Coloradobased online flexible jobs listing service with 55 career categories, predicts the number of companies that offer flexibility will continue in an upward spike. Already, 80 percent of 375 U.S. companies offer some sort of work flexibility options to employees, according to a 2015 survey by FlexJobs and nonprofit WorldatWork.
The most prevalent flexibility programs offered are tele-work days on an ad-hoc basis, flex time and shortened workweeks. However, new options for flexibility go beyond traditional formats to include work-from-anywhere jobs, independent contract work and result-oriented positions.
Already, technology has made a desk in an office optional and led to the rise in people who work elsewhere some of the time. Berrin, director of government and community relations at Baptist, uses evolving technology to participate in virtual meetings or get an instant answer while working outside the office.
“I don’t have to be physically present to be at table so I am able to be way more productive with my time,” Berrin says.
Improvement to everyday tools such as videoconferencing, shared calendars, computer monitoring programs and instant messaging will help bosses track progress and focus on accomplishments rather than face time, experts say.
With the job market tightening, staffing firms such as Robert Half believe companies of all sizes will allow more flexibility when possible.
“If you have an excellent candidate with a hot skill set, he or she may have three other job offers,” says Laura Campin, division director at Robert Half International in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale area. “You can promise promotions but it is cheaper to offer flexibility to entice that candidate to accept your offer.”
For example, flexibility in financial positions might allow for shorter days at slower times with the expectation of longer days at busier times, she says.