Workers want flexible hours, but many employers just aren’t playing ball

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A recent study carried out by Ivanti has quantified the importance of flexible working hours in today’s professional landscape, however many employers are unwilling to compromise.

The 2024 Everywhere Work report reveals that four in five workers seek flexible working arrangements – that’s more than the number of workers who want remote work, highlighting the significance of flexibility.

However, only one in four workers say that their current jobs provide them with high levels of flexibility, prompting concerns about employers’ abilities to retain and attract talent.

Flexibility is more important than remote working

The report suggests that at least two in five professionals would even consider changing jobs in order to get more flexibility, with Ivanti CEO Jeff Abbott branding workplace flexibility as advantageous for businesses:

“Neglecting these factors may lead to higher turnover rates and dissatisfaction among valuable employees you are trying to keep engaged.”

Interestingly, more women consider flexible working (36%) and the ability to work anywhere (28%) essential compared with men (22% and 18%, respectively).

Ivanti’s study also indicates that investment into productivity tools that allow workers to be efficient from anywhere has been biased, with IT professionals most likely to experience a lack in sufficient tools, leading to burnout.

While there may be some hope that artificial intelligence, when used correctly, could help improve worker productivity and satisfaction, many companies continue to have low AI adoption rates due to data inaccuracies and organizational silos, which could also be leading to degraded cybersecurity.

Besides emphasizing the importance of flexibility and remote working, Ivanti also proposes greater collaboration between IT, security, and leadership workers, with the hope that it could reduce the disparity in how employees and employers see these issues.