Gyamfi 1

Georgina Gyamfi

Catherine Gaiser

ENG 112

20 June 2023

Flexibility in the Workplace

Flexible workplaces are becoming more popular following Covid-19. Flexible

workplaces are the idea that employees are able to be productive regardless of their work

environment. It allows people to have the freedom of not working in a typical office setting or

during typical working hours. The whole idea of flexibility in the workplace is to provide

employees with the chance to complete their work when it best fits their schedule. During the

pandemic many companies transitioned to remote working due to the spread of Covid-19. Now a

couple years after the pandemic, companies have continued to support employees working in

more flexible environments, such as their homes because they have noticed that the productivity

of their employees has significantly increased. Although flexible workplaces have many benefits

there are also some things that need to be taken into consideration. Flexible workplaces are a

great option that allow people to be more involved with their families and promote work-life

balance, but without self control can make it difficult to set boundaries between work and home

life.

With flexible workplaces working from home becomes the norm. This permits employees

to become more involved in their family life. Whether it be helping their children with

homework after school or being able to put them to bed at night, working from home greatly

benefits many parents. In the case of David Provane who works from his home in Melbourne,

Australia, working from home “allows him to take his children to swimming lessons on Friday
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mornings before contacting his colleagues around the country over the phone and online” (Patty).

A flexible work arrangement can make it less difficult for parents to have time for their

childrens’ obligations as well as their own. Because technology has advanced tremendously

throughout the years it is now easier to accommodate people's flexible schedules. Profane states

in the article, “If I'm working from Melbourne, normally I help get the family going in the

morning." Most jobs with rigid schedules start very early in the morning which indicates that

parents are not able to be much help in the process of getting everybody ready. Having the ability

to lend a hand in situations where it would not be possible without the flexibility of a workplace

aids in the discussion of the advantages provided by a flexible workplace.

With a flexible workplace having a solid work-life balance becomes feasible. Traveling is

something that most cannot do regularly due to their demanding work schedules. Having to go

into an office on a regular basis eliminates the possibility of traveling unless previously arranged.

The most substantial part of a flexible working environment is the idea that work can be done

from any location. Some companies specialize in helping people travel and work simultaneously.

“Remote Year facilitates travel and accommodation for people wanting to work remotely”

(Hing). With arrangements like this employees have the ability to explore different parts of the

world while still being able to work a full time job. This supports the idea that people should get

to work to live instead of living to work. The article, “Flexible workplace with a global twist,”

quotes digital recruiter, Stephanie Leahy stating that, “Being able to combine something that I

love like traveling as well as my work, I’ve seen my productivity skyrocket. Basically I’ve learnt

that I can do more in less time. And that has a lot to do with loving where you’re working and

what you’re doing in your spare time. This experience overall has given me greater job

satisfaction.” A flexible workplace has shown employers many benefits such as the productivity
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of their employees. Employees are able to be extremely productive when they are permitted to

work at times best suited for them. Working in a space they feel is comfortable, safe, and quiet

for them all attribute to their high rates of productivity.

More and more companies have recognized that a flexible workplace increases employee

productivity and encourages work-life balance. “ More than 70% of the employees believe that

working remotely has improved their productivity and made a positive impact on the work-life

harmony” (Getinge introduces long-term flexible workplace approach). Many employers feared

that authorizing their employees to work from home would decrease productivity, but it has in

fact done the opposite. Because employees continue to complete their work despite being in their

own environment, the worries of employers have eased as they begin considering permanently

instituting flexible workplaces. Although the most popular form of flexible workplaces is

working from home, there are numerous ways that employers can implement flexibility in their

companies. In an article written by The Washington Post titled, “What Does Workplace

Flexibility Really Mean,” they offer several ways that companies can be more flexible such as

“Unlimited PTO: Encouraging employees to take the personal time they need without counting

days,” “Alternative scheduling: Setting non-traditional work hours (e.g., not 8 to 5) such as

starting earlier or later in the day to avoid the commute or meet school schedule demands,” and

“Condensed schedules: Changing the expected work schedule in a way that gives the employee

more focused personal time (e.g., a four-day workweek).” These alternative methods give

companies a chance to enforce flexibility in a way that is most effective for them.
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Without boundaries flexible workplaces can lead to overworking. The success of flexible

workplaces is dependent on the ability of employees to maintain self control and enforce limits

to their work life. It can be difficult to separate work life and home life when they begin to take

place in the same area. Since flexible workplaces allow employees to work whenever they feel is

best it is up to the employee to know when it is time to work and be able to “leave” when the day

is over. In an article by Nicholas Van Praet titled, “For Women, there is no truly flexible

workplace,” claims that one reason the women mentioned have a difficult time balancing work

and non-work is because they often found themselves working beyond a full work day and work

week. Without the structure of a traditional workplace the women felt like there was nothing to

distinguish between on hours and off hours. One woman named Jodi noted that,"On the 30th, we

have a wedding, but I'll work in the morning. I'll work that night. It's a sickness. An obsession."

Without a set place of work people are unable to "leave" work which can lead to them working at

inappropriate hours.

Flexible workplaces have proven that they have benefits that traditional workplaces lack.

Flexible workplaces have given people the opportunity to be more involved with their families

while still working a full time job. It has allowed for people to live their lives and gain new

experiences whilst developing their careers. It has also exhibited that people do not need to be in

a traditional office setting in order to be productive. In fact it has conveyed that people are able

to be more productive when they are given the freedom to work at their own pace and in their

preferred location. The most crucial factor that determines whether someone gets to experience

the benefits of a flexible workplace is their ability to implement self control and know when it is

time to live.
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Work Cited

"Getinge introduces a long-term flexible workplace approach." PR Newswire, 29 Mar. 2021, p.

NA. Gale In Context: Biography, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A656648422/BIC?

u=viva2_nvcc&sid=bookmark-BIC&xid=4f8bf94f. Accessed 17 June 2023.

Hing, Georgia. "Flexible Workplace with a Global Twist." The Courier - Mail, Nov 24, 2018, pp.

41. ProQuest, https://eznvcc.vccs.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/

flexible-workplace-with-global-twist/docview/2136920781/se-2.

Nicolas, Van P. "For Women, there is no Truly Flexible Workplace." National Post, Aug 10,

2010. ProQuest,

https://eznvcc.vccs.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/women-there-

is-no-truly-flexible-workplace/docview/742582866/se-2.

Patty, Anna. "Utility Company Offers to make all Jobs Flexible: Workplace - NEWS." Sydney

Morning Herald, Mar 20, 2017, pp. 21. ProQuest, https://eznvcc.vccs.edu/login?

url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/utility-company-offers-make-all-jobs-

flexible/docview/1878550171/se-2.

“What Does Workplace Flexibility Really Mean?” The Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2022,

https://jobs.washingtonpost.com/article/what-does-workplace-flexibility-really-mean-/