Take your time:
Managing flexible hours in the remote, work-from-home era
Working remotely can save time — no commute, for starters, is a game-changer — but what are people doing with those extra minutes and hours each day? And if they are allowed to work flexible hours, how has the new freedom to break out of the 9-to-5 mold impacted their productivity? And more importantly — from the employers’ perspective — how do you channel that productivity so that it works well for everyone? Short answer: It depends.
The long answer is a little more complex. Productivity can peak throughout the day for remote employees, according to a survey from TalentLMS, a workplace learning platform, which polled 1,200 workers on when they reach productivity peak during the workday. While 71 percent of polled employees say they work best in the morning and before lunch, 22 percent say they’re most productive after lunch. But a significant 7 percent say they work on atypical schedules and reach their productivity peak in the evening or late at night.
“With millions of Americans moving to remote or flexible working over the past 18 months, we’ve seen a dramatic shift in how both employers and employees approach flexible working,” says Andrew Hunter, cofounder of Adzuna, a global job search engine. “The benefits are clear for workers: Improved work-life balance, the ability to balance work with childcare and family responsibilities — and as studies have shown — more accommodating work schedules can lead to higher job satisfaction, productivity, morale and overall happiness.”
But who decides on an accommodating work schedule? Today, 40 percent of remote employees work non-fixed hours and atypical schedules, while 60 percent work fixed hours, according to the TalentLMS survey.
In the months and years ahead, especially in a pandemic and post-pandemic environment, the expansion of flex hours will only increase. “With a tightening labor market and a
renewed focus on establishing a better work-life balance, we expect the ability to work flex hours to continue to increase. Communicating consistently with colleagues, remaining
on top of your projects and ensuring people know how and when to reach you, will ease the challenges of flexible time,” says Mike Morini, CEO of WorkForce Software.
Rhiannon Staples, chief marketing officer of Hibob, a people management platform, says that wanting flexibility at work is common. She cites recent data from Hibob shows that more than 90 percent of workers crave the ability to have adjustable hours.
Keeping in touch
In many ways, basic communication can be tested when workers are on different schedules. “Leverage asynchronous communication. It supports improved collaboration while allowing your colleagues to respond on their time despite different working hours. Especially in dispersed workforces with people in different time zones and working situations, it’s important to recognize that the way people work may be different from yours, and they may not be online when you are,” says Aleksandra Sulimko, chief human resources officer at The Soul Publishing, an independent digital studio. “Don’t expect an immediate response when asking a question, and similarly, try not to feel pressure to answer something right away.”
Staples agrees on the importance of communication. “Don’t be afraid to over-communicate with your colleagues. Remote or hybrid work can leave some people feeling
siloed and out of sync with colleagues who they used to work with closely,” Staples says.
Morini says it’s important to have a workforce that’s aware of when others are working and when they’re not. “Consider leveraging technology to indicate when you’re working and unavailable, as well as when people can expect you to return and complete projects, to avoid any questions from workers who may be operating on a different schedule,” he says.
Structure needed
Still, working non-standard hours isn’t for everyone. “Flexible work is a dream come true for some and a nightmare for other employees. For those who find it hard, coaching and training may help. Building new soft skills, such as adaptability — which is a highly-valued skill in the new world of work — can be advantageous to career growth and personal development. But if you’ve tried for a while to adjust to flexible work and your productivity and motivation still suffer, you may just not be cut out for it. And your company should acknowledge and accept that,” says Thanos
Papangelis, CEO of Epignosis, an eLearning platform.