Understanding the Fluidity of the Modern Workplace: Flexibility is the New Currency

Remote work flexibility has transition from a luxury perk to a standard benefit across many organizations over the last couple of years. As mobile technology evolved, the remote experience became more seamless – today 85 percent of global employees say it appeals to them. What is striking, and what business leaders need to understand as they build their remote policies, is exactly how much value they place on workplace flexibility.

The Future of Work: Money Isn’t Everything

Fuze recently released a new research report, Workforce Futures: The role of people in the future of work with the intent on further understanding the major trends impacting the workforce, and changing employee sentiment on these issues. Overwhelmingly, the research demonstrated that flexibility is critical to how they view their workplace experience. Not only do 83 percent state they don’t believe that they need to be in the office to be productive, but a further 89 percent believe flexible working should be offered to everyone – as a practice, not as a benefit. Where things really get interesting are the lengths at which employees are willing to go to achieve flexibility. Here’s a quick breakdown of the findings:

These sacrifices indicate that employees are taking their flexible options very seriously. And we aren’t the only ones who are seeing this trend. In a recent Fidelity study, millennials would take a pay cut of $7,600 to improve the following:

1. Career development opportunities

2. More purposeful work

3. Work-life balance

4. Company culture

Remote work supports a great work-life balance, empowering individuals to tweak and tailor their productivity to best suit their needs, all while delivering results for their company. While it isn’t surprising that employees are embracing this lifestyle with gusto, not prioritizing these options for staff could have dire consequences in the hunt for top tier talent. For companies who recently made high profile decisions to recall all of their remote employees, alarm bells should be ringing.

Workforce Futures provides a look into the changing global trends, but every office is unique, with its own personalities, culture, and atmosphere. Take the opportunity to engage with your workforce – do they feel they’re achieving the level of flexibility they want? Do they feel they have the best technology to support what flexible options are already available? The workplace is evolving at a remarkable pace, and staying ahead require active dialogue to ensure employees feel empowered to be their best.

For more findings from Workforce Futures: the role of people in the future of work, check out this infographic.