Labor flexibility improves recruitment and favors talent retention.
Labor flexibility is a method of organizing work that allows the employee to choose, within certain limits and according to certain criteria, how to fulfill their tasks. In this way, the worker has greater freedom compared to other systems or regimes.
With labor flexibility, the employee finds his interests and needs taken into account, thus increasing his satisfaction in the company. For the employer, this well-being of the person who works results in more productivity and less conflict.
Origin of labor flexibility
The origin of labor flexibility is usually located in the 1990s . Although there have always been companies and employers more flexible than others when it comes to setting working conditions, the advance of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the 1990s gave rise to a new trend in labor relations and in daily activity in offices.
In many companies, labor flexibility was due to the need to adapt to the habits that arose with the rise of the Internet and the possibilities that the Web opened up in multiple areas. Technological resources also modified production processes and the provision of services, thereby changing day-to-day life within the entities.
In this framework, employers had to modify certain guidelines to retain their talents. They also had to adjust to the demands of a globalized market that led to the introduction of changes within the entities.
A key moment in workplace flexibility was the COVID-19 pandemic . In 2020 , the epidemiological situation forced companies to adopt remote work , a reality that over time became a kind of acquired right for many workers. Today the possibility of doing work at home, at least a few days a week, is part of the benefits that companies offer.
For labor flexibility to be introduced into a corporate culture, adaptability is required.
Its characteristics
Labor flexibility is based on the power given to the worker to choose certain conditions linked to their position . In a broad sense, it is the set of measures or decisions that facilitate work-life balance and contribute to the employee's well-being .
Flexible hours are one of its pillars. People are allowed to adjust their arrival or departure time, or choose a time block when it is a shift job.
In general, autonomous time management is authorized. This way you can promote work by projects and not by number of hours. Other related benefits are the possibility of establishing a reduction in the working day or even completing a four-day work week, thus extending the rest .
The alternative of working remotely, on the other hand, helps the worker spend more time at home. Digital technology that allows virtual communication via teleconferences and other resources and that contemplates the use of collaboration software means that, in many cases, the company is indifferent whether the employee is physically at the entity's headquarters or at any other location. another place.
El home office además deja abierta la chance deldigital nomadism. Hay profesionales que llevan el trabajo consigo gracias a una computadora portátil, con lo cual pueden mudarse continuamente o viajar de modo constante sin que eso incida en su labor.
More days of vacation and maternity/paternity leave, job rotation and the employer's availability to promote training, learning and development activities are other characteristics that may be present in labor flexibility.
Work flexibility contributes to a positive work environment.
Benefits of work flexibility
The benefits of labor flexibility are numerous and arise from the characteristics mentioned above. In short, this method of organization helps achieve a satisfactory work-life balance for the employee .
This greater freedom usually reduces work stress . In a company that implements labor flexibility, workers are unlikely to suffer burnout and other mental health disorders associated with employment.
Labor flexibility can also mean savings for both parties. Those who work from home do not spend on fuel for their car or on public transportation tickets; The employer, meanwhile, can reduce its fixed structure (in relation to the use of computers, furniture or even offices) with the decentralization of work.
As we already indicated, a human resources policy of this type, which increases job satisfaction , is favorable for companies since it usually has a positive impact on worker motivation and productivity .
Negative aspects
Labor flexibility in itself is not negative, but its consequences can be harmful depending on the attitude of the worker. Working remotely and managing one's own time freely requires the employee's responsibility for the system to work.
A performance evaluation may reveal that the home office impacts performance. If a person dedicated to customer service resolved ten complaints a day in the office but working from home only resolved four, it is clear that this aspect of work flexibility ended up being counterproductive.