The traditional 9-5 workday isn’t as normal as it used to be. Over the past few years, the flexible workplace has become hugely popular and it’s easy to see why. Everything points to the same thing – the flexible workplace is the future.
In this post, we’ll explore how you can adapt your business to meet the new demand for a more flexible workplace.
Will the 9-5 work model work in 2022?
Once upon a time, the 9-5 workday was the most popular way to work. Before the 9-5 workday, people worked even longer until people started fighting for the 8-hour workday instead. This working model proved to be very successful and made the 9-5 workday the normal working model.
The traditional workday can still be a great fit for a variety of businesses and has several advantages – a set schedule and knowing exactly what you need to do each day. However, it also comes with a number of downsides that can lead to stress and poorer mental health among employees. Many employees don’t fit into a completely fixed schedule and would rather be in control of their own lives.
Many employees have even found that these preferred hours affect their mental health. With the constant pressure to show up on time and get things done on time, it can be near impossible to take time off to regain energy and happiness. So it’s not hard to understand why people are fighting for more flexibility in the workplace.
So it makes sense that traditional 9-5 work isn’t as popular as it once was. Work models are constantly evolving, but there’s no doubt that the pandemic drastically accelerated the flexible and hybrid workplace. However, it wasn’t just because of the pandemic that the hybrid and flexible workplace quickly gained popularity as some companies began to introduce it. It’s something we’ve been asking for for many, many years.
A good example is that it has also become extremely popular to be a freelancer instead of taking a normal job. The main reason many people choose to freelance is the flexibility and freedom it brings. Therefore, it makes sense that full-time employees would also want these benefits.
For many companies, the 9-5 workday is still in use, but they want to offer the option of a more flexible schedule. It’s the hybrid workplace. You still get the benefits of the traditional model, while also offering employees increased flexibility.
Especially if you ask young workers or students, it’s extremely important that the workplace offers flexible working options. For young people just starting their careers, it’s a big turn-off if the workplace is too strict on meeting times.
The benefits of not working 9-5
Ditching the fixed 9-5 working model has many great benefits. Some people prefer everything to be completely fixed, while others prefer flexibility. We are all different. That’s why the flexible workplace makes so much sense.
Flexibility increases productivity. If the framework of a workplace is too rigid, it can often reduce employee productivity. This can lead to employee burnout and stress, as everything has to be completed in set hours throughout the day. The happier employees are, the better work they do, and with a flexible workplace, you’ll almost always have happier employees.
Not only does productivity increase, but concentration and focus also seem to increase with a flexible schedule. When you’re constantly pressured by deadlines, you’re more likely to end up struggling to focus and not getting things done on time. It can end up in a very negative spiral. However, with the flexible workplace, much of this pressure is removed, making it easier for employees to focus when they choose to work.
Naturally, these things benefit both employees and the company as a whole. There are also other benefits for employees. For example, avoiding busy traffic times, which can be a real drain on your mood and energy, as well as a huge waste of time. Furthermore, it also gives employees the ability to take care of personal matters without having to take time off work – they can just come in earlier or later.
Last but not least, it also seems that the flexible workplace is extremely good for the mental health of employees. It has been a major debate for many years that the modern workforce is more stressed and has more sick days than ever before. The flexible workplace helps to counteract this.
Some of the many benefits of ditching the traditional 9-5 working model include
- Increased productivity
- Increased concentration and focus
- Avoid the busy traffic times
- Improved mental health of employees
- Handling personal matters without having to spend vacation time on it
How you can adapt your business to the flexible workplace
A company that wants to adapt to the flexible workplace can do so in a number of different ways.
You can offer several different types of flexible working options, including
- Give employees the ability to choose when they are in the office and when they work from home
- Give employees the ability to choose their own working hours
- Provide employees with tools to make working from home easier
- Make use of systems that make it easy to book desks and meeting rooms in the workplace – such as MyDesk
Some other things companies should consider when implementing the flexible workplace are
- Being open to ideas and always testing what works best for their business.
- Seeing logistical barriers they will face as opportunities and not being afraid to tackle them.
- Using technology and software that can help make the flexible workplace effective.
The first step is to be open to the possibilities of the flexible workplace and what it entails. As a company, you need to be ready to experiment and find out which events work best for the company and, of course, the employees. It’s crucial that both employees and the entire company are happy with the solution.
When starting out in the flexible workplace, you’re likely to run into some logistical barriers. These issues can be effectively managed and shouldn’t be seen as a bigger problem than they actually are. There are huge optimization opportunities in these barriers if you use the right technology.
There are several different technologies and software solutions that can complement the flexible workplace. These enable employees to work in a productive and flexible way, while still allowing businesses to maintain full control. This is exactly what we’ve created MyDesk to achieve.
