Embracing flexibility: the future of work for a happier workforce
Catrin Hâf Feron
In recent years, the way we work, which once seemed immovable despite changes in our economy and family dynamics, has undergone a seismic shift.
The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a catalyst, forcing businesses to rethink their operations and bringing remote work into the mainstream.
The rise of remote working has offered employees newfound flexibility, eliminating the daily commute, enabling them to visit family without taking time off, and opening doors for talented people worldwide to pursue their dream jobs.
As a young professional, this shift to remote work couldn’t have come at a better time. Entering the workforce during this transition has reduced the pressure of the traditional 9-5. It has allowed employees like me to feel more fulfilled at work while conserving the energy we would otherwise have
spent commuting. This change has been a saving grace for many, especially those with young children or a strong need for flexibility.
It has demonstrated that the once rigid 9-5 schedule is not as unchangeable as it seemed.
With the ongoing cost of living crisis, it’s worth exploring how we can further reshape the work environment to enhance employee satisfaction.
Remote work has been a great start, but is there more we can do?
Parents
One of the most significant benefits of remote working is the ability for parents to stay home with their children, pick them up from school, and make up for lost time later. Personally, I’ve experienced the freedom to fly back to the UK over my lunch break and continue working from my parents’ house.
However, despite these benefits, young people today face unique challenges. The dream of owning a home and starting a family feels increasingly out of reach, and advancing in a saturated job market seems daunting. The economy demands that young professionals progress rapidly, but the bar for success feels unreachable.
So, what could be the solution?
A concept that recently came up is term-time working for parents.
I have colleagues of mine with young children who feel a real burden during the holiday times.
On the surface, the idea of giving employees long periods of paid time off might seem intimidating for companies, but it addresses a critical need. Young families are struggling to juggle multiple 9-5 jobs while raising children.
For someone in my position, the idea of term-time working is incredibly appealing. It would provide young people with the security to consider starting families, but more importantly, for those looking to enter the job market or progress in their career, it offers a pathway for learning and gaining work experience.
Term-time working
Term-time working could create predictable gaps in the workforce when parents take time off. Instead of these absences causing stress, companies could use this as an opportunity to allow employees who are eager to advance their careers to step in.
Of course, certain levels of training and onboarding would be needed but these employees who take over could gain invaluable experience by temporarily taking on higher-level roles, proving their capabilities to employers.
For young professionals, simply getting a foot in the door is golden. If I had the chance to take over an entry-level role during a break while I was at university, it would have been invaluable as I learnt the most about the job market in the first few weeks once starting my first full time role.
This model could open doors for freelancers, young people, and digital nomads, offering them flexibility and increased happiness in the workplace.
Many young professionals that I know have a completely different attitude to work compared to generations before them. I have friends of mine who are happy to work for short periods in skilled roles, then use their earnings to travel and see the world for the following few months.
I’m positive many of them would be happy to work over school holiday periods to sustain the kinds of lifestyle they desire.
Adaptability
I truly believe that the next key step in our company culture will be focusing on employee happiness through greater flexibility and adaptability.
By doing so, we can open the job market to eager young professionals who are keen to learn, build networks, and gain experience.
The ideas around more flexible working seem to pop up in discourse every so often, such as talks of
the four-day working week.
What I have found through my experience is that my colleagues with families are under a huge amount of pressure, and me and other young professionals are dying for any opportunity we can get our hands on.
It seems we have both supply and demand to adapt our attitudes to working, and in doing so, removing the individual bottlenecks in corporations and getting people on the career ladder.
Catrin Hâf Feron is a strategic solutions expert in creative tech, exploring the intersection of technology and the future of work
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I can certainly see the benefit of this term-time working proposal but wouldn’t this make it very hard for childless people to have time off work during the school holidays if the staff numbers drop during that time and/or the new starters covering for them will need support and training?
Who is paid enough to sustain their life while working only school term times?
The advent of AI will solve this problem for most young professionals: they won’t be required any more. Some are predicting that, within the next few years, there’ll be little or no need for ‘knowledge’ workers. CHatGPT passed the Bar Exam with flying colours last year: if lawyers are to be toast then I’d say that people like the author are going to have more time on their hands than they’ll know what to do with.
We certainly are going to have to change. Not just the attitude to flexible working, but to employment in general.
The awkward question is do we adapt to a universal basic income, or do we carry on and label the 50% of the population “lazy” and carry on with the backward system employed now?
A 4 day week and flexible working practices are a sticky plaster for a gaping wound. AI is coming through fast, and if we don’t adjust or thinking and attitudes from the old ways, we’re in a lot of trouble.