Evolving: Embracing the Flexible Work Schedule

There are and will always be pros and cons to any topic. But to ignore the blatant outweigh of pros (in my opinion) is a power trip wrapped in lunacy and control. Our lives have drastically changed after the pandemic. Most of all, the workforce learned that the suspicions were correct, flexible work schedules pros drastically outweigh the cons.

When the Pandemic was the event that forever radically changed how I chose to show up in the workforce. I could never put my finger on why I faced so many challenges in traditional work environments and rigid work schedules. After being selected to pilot WFH at my place of business before the shutdown in 2020, I learned why. Personally, A few of the most challenging aspects of in office work structure are the commute, constant environmental distractions / small talk and redundancy of multiple meetings. It was during this time that I finally had the bandwidth and time to actually evaluate why I faced so many challenges throughout my career. I learned that I am not neurotypical, which is accompanied by a whole other set of challenges, and that the experiences I was facing were not personality flaws which boosted my confidence exponentially.

This piqued my curiosity, and I wanted to see if there was data to back up what I had experienced and this is what I found:

• On average, it takes 30% of a roles salary to replace candidates which is why it is no surprise that Accounting firms have been the leading industry in implementing flexible work schedules and Hybrid Work modes.

• Flexible work schedules also reduces the risk of burnout and contrary to opinion of many large corporation CEO's, increases talent retention by reducing distractions and promoting work-life balance.

• It also, has proven to reduce Office Space and Utility Cost overall.

The greatest impact its had is leveling the playing field for women in the workforce. Life is hectic and unpredictable and disproportionately impacting women because of engrained social biases and forced ultimate of having to choose between a career and a family. The hybrid work mote has eliminated the rigidity of a 9 - 5 schedule allowing women to balance work and family responsibilities.

I know there are many more benefits than I can cover in this short blog so I encourage you to do your own research. I am also not saying that it is a one-size fits all, and for some it may not be a it. However, numbers don't lie. According the Appcast's "Recruitment Marketing Benchmark Report", providing the option to choose has expanded the labor force by ~2.5 M workers. Some food for thought.

Check in tomorrow for another dose of why I love being a Data Analyst.

Happy Growing!!!

Want to connect? Email me: s.bejarano-lara@sblconsultingsolutions.com