MAKE IT WORK YOUR WAY

FLEXIBLE work arrangements are no longer a perk but a must-have, as three in five workers are already enjoying this type of set-up with their employer.

A survey of 5000 Australians across white and blue-collar sectors by The Adecco Group reveals 60 per cent have flexible working arrangements.

Chief executive Rafael Moyano says employers must offer the benefit to stay competitive.

“In today’s candidatedriven market, with unemployment rates under 6 per cent, the candidate is in the driver seat,” he says.

“If a company doesn’t offer the most enticing benefits, top talent will look elsewhere.”

Many employers take an individual approach to the flexibility they allow staff, with Adecco showing 40 per cent of Australian workplaces offer remote work, 26 per cent offer flexible hours and 12 per cent offer a compressed working week.

“The world of work is now enabled by forms of technology so employees can work seamlessly from anywhere,” Moyano says.

“However, while technology has evolved drastically over the last decade, the traditional working environment has remained static. It’s time that our working styles evolve as rapidly as technology.”

SEEK’s Laws of Attraction data reveals work/life balance is the number one most important factor considered when choosing a job or employer for 13 per cent of jobseekers.

When it comes to work/life balance, flexible working hours – including the freedom to start or finish at different times or work a nine-day fortnight – is the second most-sought benefit. It was topped only by compensation for overtime.

Halcyon Knights people, culture and operations director Harley McLean says the employment agency does not believe in restricting how people work.

“No set hours and no set location for work means each team member can work when they are most effective,” he says.