With new technology and methods of communication it is becoming easier for employers to offer flexible working and keep track of productivity.
Millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce and have started to reject the idea of the typical 9-5 office job. With more people turning to freelancing and job hopping, companies have to play catch up and offer people more.
In 2014, a law was passed which made companies obligated to consider all applications for flexible working. Flexible working usually means part-time, different working hours, working from 
home or job sharing.
Most employees who have been with a company for 26 weeks can now formally ask for flexible working. This was originally only allowed for people with children or other care responsibilities but has been rolled out to everyone else.
Considering flexible working? Here are some of the benefits for employers:
Happier employees
Employees can benefit from greater work-life balance and more freedom. Employees who experience less stress and more freedom are going to be happier with their work-life balance. Happier employees are more likely to be productive, efficient and make better decisions.
Training
Flexible working may enable workers to take courses and gain qualifications they might not otherwise be able to fit around a 9-5 job. If employees can schedule work around studies, whether relevant to the job or not, you will be able to keep a more qualified workforce.
Better staff retention
You will be able to keep on staff who otherwise would have left because you can offer them different working hours should they need them. This can be particularly useful for people taking parental leave who might want to gradually come back to work. Many women find it harder to get back into work after having children. If they are offered flexible working, this might help them get back into work without having to sacrifice time with children. Having better staff retention will save you from further recruitment costs and time training new employees.
Fewer absences
Flexible working may help to reduce the number of absences. Studies also show that people take less time off when they have more control over their working hours. People who cannot come into the office for whatever reason might be able to work from home. This means that there isn’t a big drop in productivity.
Free up desk space
Depending on your business, it might make more sense to not provide permanent desk space for every single employee. If you have workers who can regularly work outside of the office, there is little point spending money on their desk space. Flexible working can help you cut costs in hiring larger office space and some of the expenses incurred from running it.
Employers are now increasingly working towards providing flexibility to employees. However, most companies do not offer it. Many businesses will find that they are unable to provide much flexibility in the working schedule. Companies who have to fit their working hours around other businesses or customers will find it particularly difficult to implement flexible working.
Employers may be more hesitant to introduce flexible working policies for some of the reasons below:
Different working hours
It may prove difficult trying to manage staff if they’re all working different working hours. It may be hard to keep track of who is working when and for how long. Employers are likely to worry that staff may take advantage of the flexible approach.
It might also be difficult to schedule meetings with co-workers and employees if they’re all used to working at different times. Meetings will have to be scheduled further in advance.
It’s not suited to everyone
People who struggle with motivation might find it harder to keep on track. Though it might be tempting to ask for more flexible hours, some people are simply not suited to this approach and need the structure of typical working hours in order to be more efficient.
Abuse of the system
It’s possible that some workers might try to abuse the flexible working policy by getting away with doing less work. To combat this, strong management needs to be put into place with procedures, ways to measure output and regular communication.
Employers do not have to grant flexible working, they only have to consider it. There are several grounds that you can refuse a request for flexible working. They are:
- Additional costs
- Inability to reorganise work with other staff
- Inability to recruit more staff
- Negative impact on quality
- Inability to meet customer demand
- Negative impact on performance
- Employee wouldn’t be working enough hours
- Structural changes to business are incompatible with flexible working