Recently, it has been publicised that accountancy giant PwC has launched a new scheme allowing new recruits to propose the hours of the week they wish to work.

The UK’s largest independent tech retailer Ebuyer investigated this new trend and how businesses can adapt to more flexible working hours to maximise employee productivity.

By 2021, it is estimated that half of the working population in the UK and the US will be working freelance and flexibly. This is the way the global workforce is moving and yet many organisations haven’t fully understood the implications, and more importantly, opportunities – according to The Hoxby Collective, a global community of talented professionals.

Stephen James, Marketing Manager at Ebuyer, said: “We believe that having a flexible work life can help improve productivity and overall employee wellbeing. With developments in technology evolving all the time, we are constantly finding new ways to help employees become more flexible when working. It’s important to find the perfect work-life balance, and thanks to smartphones, virtual networks and video calls, employers should embrace new technology to help employees work remotely and during hours that sit outside the 9 to 5.”

A new YouGov survey[i], conducted among 1,800 UK workers, reveals that almost six in ten (58%) UK workers would choose to start work earlier than 9am if they could leave earlier than 5pm. Almost four in ten (37%)¹ also said that their preferred working hours would be 8am till 4pm.

Flexible working is important to people of all ages and stages in their life. Almost four in five (78%) parents, already working flexible hours, state that the adaptability allows them to juggle work with family commitments.

Millennials are high on recruiter’s target lists with organisations looking to secure new talent to drive their business forward. This demographic believes that being given flexible working hours means they are trusted by their employers and by having this sense of trust, they also feel more loyal towards the company.[ii]

Stephen James continued, “2018 is the time to embrace flexible working hours, especially to attract and retain employees. It isn’t just for people who have families, younger generations are starting to expect schemes like this too. It’s important to adapt to new cultures in order to be successful. Experiment with agile working, integrate it in to your workforce and see what benefits it can bring to your business.”

If you’re thinking about making your work life more flexible, then visit Ebuyer’s blog post about working from home: https://www.ebuyer.com/blog/2014/05/are-you-thinking-of-working-from-home/

[i]“Over nine in ten not working the usual 9-5 week” YouGov UK, 24 Aug 2018. https://yougov.co.uk/news/2018/08/24/over-nine-ten-not-working-usual-9-5-week/

[ii]“Millennials’ confidence in business, loyalty to employers deteriorate” Deloitte, 15 Jan 2018. https://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/millennialsurvey.html