Is flexwork the future of work – and do you have the right tech stack for it?
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For many (if not most) office jobs, productivity is not tied to specific hours or even a location. So, giving your employees the freedom to choose their work schedules or decide when they come to the office is a perk that will cost you minimally in terms of results but that many would love.
In this article, we'll explain what flexwork is and how it has impacted modern workspaces – and see how you can implement flexible working arrangements at your office.
Curious to see whether it's the future we've all been waiting for? Read on to find out.
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So, what exactly is flexwork, and how can it benefit you and your team?
Flexwork, also known as hybrid work or flexible work, is a work arrangement that gives employees the freedom to choose when, where, and how they work. The Covid-19 pandemic showed everyone that flexible work isn't an obstacle to productivity, so many have put in place permanent flexwork policies that enable their teams to decide how they work best.
Here are the main components of a flexible work arrangement:
Flexible work hours: This might mean simply starting or finishing work earlier or later, or it might also mean having a fully customized schedule or a compressed work week.
Location flexibility: By giving your team the option to choose where they work from, you empower them to build an environment they actually love.
Another option is a results-only work environment where you evaluate performance based only on results rather than on time spent working. This approach is best for jobs where you can set clear, measurable goals and track results unambiguously, for example sales or software development.
How does flexwork impact employees?
What sets flexwork apart from traditional work arrangements is its focus on employee autonomy. Instead of adhering to rigid schedules and fixed hours, flexwork gives workers the possibility to design their work environment to suit their preferences and needs. This fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility – we all perform better when others trust us to make the right choices.
While some workers might thrive in a busy coffee shop or need to come to the office every day to catch up with colleagues, others might feel best in a quiet home office with minimal interaction. But, most often, it's a mix of all these, and everyone has their preferences about how often to do each.
The key is offering your people the choice and helping them make the most out of each option. This enables you to create a supportive hybrid environment where everyone can do their best work.
Plus, workers no longer need to take time off whenever they have important personal commitments – if they can simply go to work earlier or later, or work from home, they can take care of everything without compromising results. Work-life balance, anyone? Flexibility is key for achieving it.
How does flexwork impact companies?
How about businesses, though? What are the advantages to offering flexwork options to your employees?
First off, it helps you boost job satisfaction: Workers who have access to a hybrid work arrangement are generally happier than those who don't, according to Deloitte. And, clearly, many prefer to work either mostly remotely or come into the office a part of the time (56% for both categories), rather than be in the office most of the time (37%).
56% of employees want flexible work options (Source: Deloitte)
Plus, flexibility helps recruit and keep top employees. A 2023 CIPD report noted that 6% of employees quit last year because they couldn’t work flexibly, and 12% even changed careers for more flexible options. When looking for new roles, 71% say flexibility is important.
Plus, renting fewer square meters of office space is cheaper (obviously) and enables you to invest money elsewhere, be it in employee happiness, research and development, or providing better customer care.
Post-pandemic, many employers realized that most people don't want to give up remote working options and just go back to the office full time. So, many started considering alternatives that would help them retain their best talent – and hybrid work proved to be a top choice.
According to Gallup, in 2023, more than 53% of employees expected and preferred hybrid work, while another 29% would rather work remotely. Combine this with another piece of research, stating that about 70% of companies want to offer hybrid work arrangements to workers, and it's easy to see why we're on a trajectory of making hybrid work increasingly common, usually involving working 2 to 3 days/week at home and the remaining in the office.
That's not surprising: Flexwork combines the benefits of office work (better collaboration and easier team meetings) with the convenience of working from home. It also enables team members to choose their work hours and achieve a better work-life balance.
If you plan to use flexwork to retain your best talent and reduce overhead, however, you need to make sure:
You're not creating any divisions between those who prefer to work from home and those who enjoy working from the office most of the time
Everyone can work together efficiently, regardless of their location and schedule
You're managing your office space efficiently
And for this, you need the right tech stack.
How to choose the best tech stack for a flexible work environment
If you're ready to implement flexible work arrangements at your company, you need to equip your team members with the right software to collaborate. Here’s what tools you need to consider and how to pick the best ones:
Communication tools
Effective communication is perhaps the No. 1 condition to the success of any hybrid work initiative, so make sure your team has the right tools to stay connected. Regardless of whether someone chooses remote work from their home office or to come in to see others, they need to be in the loop.
Examples
Zoom
Microsoft Teams
Slack
Google Meet
How to pick the best one
Ensure the platform can accommodate all your team's communication needs (internal and external)
Check if it integrates well with other tools your team uses
Look for essential features like video conferencing, chat, and file sharing
Project management software
Keeping projects on track is crucial in a flexible work setup to help your team stay organized and meet deadlines.
Examples
Asana
Trello
Monday.com
How to choose the right tool
Look for a clean and easy-to-navigate interface
Ensure it offers features that support team collaboration, like comments, file attachments, and real-time updates
Opt for customizable tools you can adapt to your workflows
Check it has all the reporting and analytics features you need
Cloud-based document sharing and storage
Secure and efficient document sharing and collaboration is vital for remote teams, so you need to look for a scalable solution that fits your team's needs.
Examples
Google Drive
Dropbox
PandaDoc
How to pick the right tool
Look for sufficient storage space for your team
Make sure you can easily manage permissions and access levels
Look for tools with strong encryption and compliance with data protection regulations
Opt for tools that enable you to do frequent backups
Desk booking and office attendance visibility software
Managing office space and attendance is important when employees are working flexibly. These tools help teams book the desks and rooms they need and enable you to keep track of who's in the office and optimize resources.
If we've learned something about work from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is that productivity isn't related to a single location or a fixed schedule – on the contrary, many people thrive in a hybrid environment where they have the choice where and when to work.
To make flexwork work well for your company, however, you need to equip your team with the right tools. Officely is a complete desk booking system that enables your employees to book a spot with a single click directly in Slack or Teams – and know when is the best time to come to the office.
Max is one of the cofounders and CEO of Officely, a flexible work enablement platform. He has helped thousands of businesses not only transition to flexible work but instil it at the core of their culture and brand.
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