Employee Productivity: Core Office Hours Vs. Flexible Working

As our societal norms and technology have evolved, there has been a recent shift to work being completed outside of the traditional office space and office hours. This shift in flexible working has tasked leaders with the responsibility of managing the productivity and expectations for their teams.  Particularly, employees that work in exempt roles.

Leaders now have to decide if their employee time management strategy will focus on an employee’s hours in the office or their overall productivity.

Although many professional offices are moving away from the traditional office hours model, there are still many pros to having staff members centrally located for a standardized amount of time throughout the day.

Team Connection & Communication

One benefit of the hours in the office model is that it increases connectivity between teams.  Spending those hours working closely together helps employees to gain a better understanding of those around them. Outside of their professional relationships and communication, employees will be able to connect on other commonalities such as entertainment, sports, health, and family life.  These non-professional connections are drivers for synergy within a team.

Client Service Experiences

Another benefit of the traditional office hours model is that it allows an employer to standardize their client support/customer service approach.  Whether it be an internal or external client/customer, the traditional office hours model eliminates certain variables that must be considered when using other approaches.  A set schedule allows employers to better manage the expectations of clients/customers which can lead to a better customer service experience throughout their engagement.

The Benefits of Flexible Working Focused on Productivity

Work-Life Integration

On the other hand, one of the key benefits of having a time management strategy that focuses on an employee’s overall productivity is the increase in an employer’s ability to promote a healthy work-life integration. Work-life integration is a prominent topic among leaders and HR professionals currently. By adopting a time management strategy that allows employees to manage their time and productivity based on their individual needs an organization can establish it’s self as a desired place to work.

Employee Retention

This also speaks to the second benefit of adopting an overall productivity focused time management strategy, which is increased retention for the employer. Recent studies show that current employees value a healthy work-life balance as much, or more than compensation. Furthermore, as a society, there has been a shift in our priorities which has deemed mental wellness as a key component to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  Employers that were able to establish a healthy work-life balance report that their retention and turnovers statistics have been considerably better than their counterparts.

It is important to remember that there is no right or wrong strategy, and you can always adopt a hybrid of both. When selecting a time management strategy, organizations should thoroughly assess their teams and business needs before determining which time management strategy to use.  At Helios HR, we offer a slew of services that could assist your leadership team in selecting, refining, and/or implementing a time management strategy that works best for your business.