Does workplace flexibility exist for real?

An increasing number of companies might be flaunting their 'workplace flexibility' to lure and retain employees but the concept in their true spirit remains elusive for most employees, a study claimed.

Flexible work options are out of reach for most employees and that when they are offered, arrangements are limited in size and scope.

"While large percentages of employers report that they have at least some workplace flexibility, the number of options is usually limited and they are typically not available to the entire workforce," explained Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, director of the Sloan Centre on Aging and Work at Boston College.

We are trying to help employers understand that flexible work initiatives work best if their organisations offer a comprehensive set of options, he added.

Employers who implement limited programmes might become frustrated if they do not see the outcomes they had hoped for saying, "Gosh, this didn't help us at all" or, "it didn't help us with recruitment" or "it didn't help us with retention".

According to Pitt-Catsouphes, it may not be that the flexible work options did not work. Rather, the companies did not offer a sufficient range of options to the employees.

"We should probably set our standards and expectations a little higher," Pitt-Catsouphes noted.

Employers and employees are better able to reap the benefits of workplace flexibility when the initiatives are comprehensive and well aligned with business priorities, said the study published in the journal, Community, Work, and Family.