Redefining 9-to-5 Schedule with The Rise of Flexible Work Hours

Flexible offices have started to be more frequent in the modern day. Even before the pandemic, numerous workplaces started to offer flexible working hours to most of their employees, allowing them to work in more accessible conditions.

Most workplaces know how compatible flexible work arrangements and hybrid work solutions are. Thus, it isn't strange to see more and more companies incorporating more flexible working times, especially in post-COVID-19.

Multiple platforms have been offering hybrid working solutions, such as Autonomous. They have experienced an increase in the use of their solutions due to the excellent quality of their software and the same trend we mentioned in the above paragraph.

This working model isn’t new, but it has become highly popular in recent days due to multiple reasons, including the opportunity for employees to work in a flexible work schedule with flex working hours.

For today's article, we'll explain why offering a flexible working time can be beneficial for both the company and the employees and why the standard 9-to-5 office schedule has started to fail.

What is a 9-to-5 office schedule?

The standard work schedule for most office employees is from 9 AM to 5 PM on a daily basis. Thus, it results in a standard of forty weekly hours required per worker. Although this model has been used for years, we have started to see a decline in multiple companies worldwide as workers have manifested how rigid these schedules are. Today, many businesses has adopted the flexible work hours method into their operations to enhance employees’ retention.

Reasons why people prefer a flexible office instead of a 9-to-5 schedule

Despite being so widespread, it is one of the main reasons why valuable individuals let opportunities go, as they cannot keep up with such a rigid schedule every day. This leads to many valuable individuals losing great opportunities, resulting in a loss for them and the company as well.

There are multiple reasons why some wouldn’t want to keep up with a 9-to-5 schedule, such as:

• They can't work in a rigid schedule continuously on a daily basis due to the presence of other obligations, such as another job or studies.

• The company’s environment is not the best, resulting in more stress and less productivity.

• Not all people are suitable for daylight work. Some of them work better during the nights.

The motives why people are not keeping up with the standard office schedule anymore can be diverse and vary from an individual to another. However, it's highly likely that if the workplace were offering a flexible working hours from home schedule, many freelancers would stick around, and they would acquire worthy individuals capable of promoting the company's goals and innovating in certain areas.

The combination between hybrid remote working and a flexible office seems to be a viable solution

As mentioned in the beginning, hybrid remote working has become hugely popular due to the COVID-19 pandemic. People are more concerned about their health, which means they will be looking for flexible working arrangements with flexible work hours that allow them to choose to work from home during certain days and in-person attendance during others or whenever it is required.

Multiple studies have demonstrated why hybrid remote working will become the new standard in the world post-pandemic. For instance, the BBC has published an article explaining multiple reasons why remote working will become the future of work. The same post mentions the opinion of Alicia Tung, an employment expert from China, that states that in-person attendance and remote working will be divided by sixty and forty percent, respectively.

It's also worth noting that not all workplaces deal with the same kind of work and that not all positions are eligible for such flexible hours. For instance, people in managerial positions will likely have to stick around as per usual, while regular office workers will be able to pick up the opportunity.

More companies are offering flexible work days or flexible work hours to their workers, which means they're enjoying multiple benefits, such as explained below.

Productivity improvements

If an employee has favorable work conditions, it is very likely for them to keep up with the company more than their in-person perks that follow the standard schedule would. However, this could also be the reason why they feel more burnout than regular office workers.  

On the other hand, most remote workers will feel the need to "prove themselves" capable of providing good results even if they're flexible working from home.

Enhanced creativity

As workers will be keeping up with their daily obligations in the environment they choose, they will feel more comfortable as they complete them. With a positive mindset, it is very likely that they will contribute even more to the company as suffocation caused by inflexible norms will not exist.

Reduced costs

Not all the benefits associated with a flexible office are about the employees. There are also benefits that workplaces may enjoy, such as full utilization of the office space.

When you combine flexible work hours with a hybrid working model, like hot-desking or office hoteling, you will take advantage of the space your company has available as much as possible. Also, considering that a great part of your employees will be working from home, you won’t have to invest in more space for the workplace.

Conclusion

Flexible work hours are turning around the employment scene. As people are looking for more opportunities that allow them to focus on different areas at the same time while exploiting their skills, companies are looking for ways they can use this mindset to favor their companies.

As mentioned above, not all positions are capable of following a flexible schedule. It is important that, before implementing this working model into the office, you evaluate every position in the organization chart and figure out who and who is not eligible for the new work conditions.

Having remote workers and onsite workers at the same time doesn't mean you should overlook your responsibilities as a leader. It is important to engage your employees in community engagement activities that allow them to create bonds with each other and the company.