Why flexible work makes good business sense

For many working mums, working flexibly allows them to spend precious time with their family, while meeting their career and work needs.

Flexible working doesn’t just benefit working mums, either. Plenty of research shows that companies with a flexible working policy see clear business benefits as a result. So if you’re thinking about asking for flexible working, it may be worth showing your employer some of the figures below before making your application.

How flexible work benefits employers

Here are some reasons why it makes good business sense for your company to agree to your flexible working request*:

  • Research shows that employees who work flexibly are more satisfied with their jobs and lives, and enjoy a better work-life balance.
  • Employees with flexible working arrangements are up to 30% less likely to suffer from stress and burnout.
  • A national study conducted by America’s Families and Work Institute found that employees of flexible companies had less negative spillover from their life outside work, enabling them to be more productive.
  • Studies have found that giving employees more control over their working patterns had positive effects on their health and wellbeing, including better sleep and lower risk of heart disease.
  • In a 2009 US survey, 90% of organisations said their work/life balance programs improved employee satisfaction, and 74% said they improved staff retention.
  • JP Morgan Chase found that 95% of employees working in an environment where the manager is sensitive to work and personal life (including flexibility) felt motivated to exceed expectations.
  • 84% of female managers at Bristol-Myers Squibb said that informal flexibility helped keep them at the company.
  • Flexible working helps to attract talent – 30% of female Bristol-Myers Squibb employees said that flexible work options were a factor in their decision to join the company.

 

* We found this information in the 2011 report Business Impacts of Flexibility: An Imperative for Expansion, by Corporate Voices for Working Families.